The National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice was launched in July 2020 by the Council on Criminal Justice. Its mission was to assess the impact of COVID-19 on the justice system, develop strategies to limit outbreaks, and produce a priority agenda of systemic policy changes to better balance public health and public safety.
The Commission was composed of 14 members who represent a diverse range of relevant professional expertise. Commissioners included current and former justice system leaders, elected officials, advocates, a leading incarceration researcher, a top public health specialist, and a directly impacted individual.
Impact REports
Impact Report: COVID-19 and Crime
This updated analysis explores trends in violent, property, and drug offenses during the COVID-19 pandemic through March 2021.
Impact Report: COVID-19 and SUD Treatment
Arriving in the midst of an opioid crisis, evidence suggests that COVID-19 and associated policies negatively impacted people with substance use disorders.
Impact Report: COVID-19 Testing in State Prisons
Evidence suggests that more testing, early testing, and early mass testing may have been strategies that helped states achieve lower rates of COVID-19 mortality behind bars.
Commission Members
Alberto Gonzales (Co-Chair)
Former U.S. Attorney General
Hon. Loretta Lynch (Co-Chair)
Former U.S. Deputy Attorney General
Charlie Beck
Former Chief, LAPD
Chief Adrian Diaz
Seattle Police Department
Sheriff Ed Gonzalez
Harris County, Texas
Tom Inglesby, M.D.
Director, John Hopkins Center for Health Security
Mayor Eric Johnson
Dallas, Texas
Pastor Michael McBride
Director of Urban Strategies, LIVE FREE Campaign
Desmond Meade
Executive Director, Florida Rights Restoration Coalition
Hon. Tina Nadeau
Chief Justice, New Hampshire Superior Court
Melissa Nelson
State Attorney, Florida's 4th Judicial Circuit
Colette S. Peters
Director, Oregon Department of Corrections
Steven Raphael
Professor and James D. Marver Chair, Goldman School, University of California, Berkeley
Jo-Ann Wallace
President and CEO, National Legal Aid and Defender Association
Thomas Abt
Director, National Commission on COVID-19; Senior Fellow, Council on Criminal Justice
Supporters
Support for the National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice comes from Arnold Ventures, Blue Meridian Partners (Justice and Mobility Fund), John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Microsoft, Schusterman Family Philanthropies, and CCJ’s general operating contributors.
