Using Research to Improve Policing

Launched in late 2020, the Task Force on Policing identified the policies and practices most likely to reduce excessive use of force, increase accountability, and rebuild trust between the police and communities. Read the latest recommendations to improve accountability in law enforcement. The final report highlighted five priorities for reform.

Reshaping Criminal Justice After COVID-19

Led by former U.S. Attorneys General Loretta Lynch and Alberto Gonzales, the National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice issued sweeping recommendations to increase the resiliency, fairness, and effectiveness of a system that includes 2.1 million people behind bars and another 4.4 million on probation or parole.

Welcome to the Council

Independent and nonpartisan, the Council is an invitational membership organization and think tank, serving as a center of gravity and incubator of policy and leadership for the criminal justice field.

Using Research to Improve Policing

Launched in late 2020, the Task Force on Policing identified the policies and practices most likely to reduce excessive use of force, increase accountability, and rebuild trust between the police and communities. Read the latest recommendations to improve accountability in law enforcement. The final report highlighted five priorities for reform.

READ THE LATEST

facts and figures

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COVID-19 death rates in prisons

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Government expenditure on policing

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Probability of future convictions

The COVID-19 death rate in prisons was 2.1 times that of the general population, after adjusting for the age, sex, and race/ethnicity of incarcerated individuals.

Spending on police nearly tripled over the past 40 years, but as a share of total state and local government expenditures it has been flat, at about 3.7%.

In one Texas county, receiving a deferred adjudication of guilt reduced the probability of future convictions over the subsequent 10 years by 45%.

Member Spotlight

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"We've got to become more data-driven and less reliant on anecdotes. We need to focus on, what are we changing? What are we changing to?"

Carlos Martinez
Public Defender, Miami-Dade County
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"It's a cultural change of how you think about human beings and really putting their lives first instead of the bottom line. Waking up every day to make a difference, one person, one day at a time."

Dan Meyer
CEO and founder, Nehemiah Manufacturing Co.
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"The way that we view people must change. Most of the folks who are incarcerated now are going to one day come home. We want to give them the opportunity for success by looking at them - the whole person."

Alice Marie Johnson
Advocate, Speaker, Author
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Latest posts

By Rachel Yen | May 23, 2023

Event Recording: Pretrial Justice, Sentencing and Corrections—Finding Common Ground in State Capitals

On May 15, the leaders of the Council on Criminal Justice Centering Justice initiative – Khalil Cumberbatch and Marc Levin – led a discussion exploring bipartisan cooperation on pretrial justice, sentencing, and corrections with three experts from the field.

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By Rachel Yen | May 22, 2023

Meeting Bulletin #2: Developing the Crime Trends Research Agenda

In the Crime Trends Working Group’s second meeting, members discussed what research is needed to inform discussions on nationwide crime trends and identified initial topics for investigation.

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By Rachel Yen | May 19, 2023

GOVERNING
Why We Need More College Graduates Behind the Badge

Attracting more people with four-year degrees — and more women — into policing is likely to produce better outcomes. Among other things, they are less likely to draw complaints and use force.

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