Council on Criminal Justice

ANNUAL REPORT: Despite the deep polarization afflicting our nation, the Council on Criminal Justice surged forward in 2024 with its mission to use data and evidence to bridge partisan and ideological divides and advance safety and justice for all. Check out our annual report to see highlights of CCJ’s initiatives and wide-ranging impacts: https://lnkd.in/gWP-8iPi

CCJ Board of Trustees member Dr. Alan Leshner is the CEO emeritus of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). His 13 years of leadership at AAAS included serving as executive publisher of the journal Science. Previously, Dr. Leshner served as the director of The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and as deputy director and acting director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Prior to his tenure at NIMH, Leshner held multiple senior positions at the National Science Foundation (NSF), focusing on basic research in the biological, behavioral, and social sciences, as well as science policy and science education. He also served two terms on the National Science Board (NSB), appointed first by President Bush in 2004 and then reappointed by President Obama in 2011. Dr. Leshner has been awarded seven honorary Doctor of Science degrees and is a recipient of the Walsh McDermott Medal from the National Academy of Medicine. He is an American Academy of Arts & Sciences fellow and a member of the National Academy of Medicine.

JOIN US in 1️⃣ week for a discussion hosted by CCJ Centering Justice's Marc Levin and Khalil A. Cumberbatch, examining recent executive actions and the potential impacts on criminal justice with experts John Malcolm, Lauren-Brooke Eisen, and Vikrant Reddy.

It was great to reconnect with old friends and meet new folks at the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS) conference in Denver last week! CCJ Senior Fellow Thaddeus Johnson, associate professor of criminology at Georgia State University, and Policy Director Stephanie C. Kennedy, PhD, MSW presented findings from our Pushing Toward Parity research series on racial and ethnic disparities in state imprisonment. Learn more about the work: https://lnkd.in/gzVzyQ26 Nancy La Vigne, Carol Peeples, Zelle Calina, Alexis Piquero, Natasha N. Johnson, EdD

CCJ is delighted to share that the organization All Rise has announced its support for the Veterans Justice Act, a legislation based on a model policy framework developed by our Veterans Justice Commission: https://lnkd.in/gHNMGmnk Now under discussion by policymakers in multiple states, the act borrows best practices from veterans treatment courts to expand front-end sentencing options for justice-involved veterans with PTSD, traumatic brain injuries, substance use disorder, or other conditions related to their military service. Under the act, eligible veterans could be diverted from prosecution and incarceration if they complete a structured program combining community supervision with evidence-based, individualized treatment. The approach builds on the pioneering work of Veterans Treatment Courts, which emerged in 2008 and have proliferated rapidly. To learn more about the commission and its work, please visit: https://lnkd.in/ghtYdhsN David "Mac" MacEwen, Jim D. Seward, Olivia McLarnan, Lindsey Kirchhoff, Carla Bugg, Pelicia E Hall, Mark Inch, Alford McMichael, Vincent Patton, EdD, Jo Sornborger, Giancarlo Cambrelén Santiago, Saydyie DeRosia, BERLYNN FLEURY, Michael Nail, Kathy Sanchez

CCJ member vaughn crandall is the executive director of the California Partnership for Safe Communities (CPSC), where he oversees technical support for violence–reduction efforts and the policy agenda. Crandall has over 20 years of experience advancing violence prevention and justice reform. Previously, he was the senior adviser to then–California Attorney General Kamala Harris’ Principled Policing Initiative and deputy director of the Center for Crime Prevention and Control at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

"The promise of American justice is rooted in the belief that even those who have made mistakes deserve fairness, dignity, and the opportunity for redemption. Sending our incarcerated citizens to a foreign mega-prison would betray that promise—and set a dangerous precedent that erodes constitutional rights for all." In a piece for Newsweek, CCJ Chief Policy Counsel Marc Levin and Director of Engagement and Partnerships Khalil A. Cumberbatch shared their perspective on a recent proposal to house people convicted of crimes in the U.S.–including U.S. citizens–in a notorious El Salvador prison: https://lnkd.in/gH2jnvWV Levin and Cumberbatch lead the Council's Centering Justice initiative, which engages a diverse range of the nation’s top thinkers and doers in an ongoing, ideologically vibrant conversation about criminal justice policy: https://lnkd.in/gXyJ-wdk

What a privilege to be recognized yesterday in Houston by Prevention Zone Inc., a terrific 501c(3) non-profit that helps at-risk youth find positive pathways, keeps incarcerated fathers connected with their families, and provides reentry assistance to individuals who have been exonerated. I discussed how when I started researching the Texas prison system at the Texas Public Policy Foundation back in 2005 I soon discovered that, while taxpayers were paying to train people behind bars to cut hair, they often couldn't get a cosmetology license upon release. Even a low-level drug possession conviction could bar someone. I highlighted legislation I worked on with my colleagues at the time and many Texas lawmakers, and which has also passed in many other states, to enable people with a record unrelated to the duties of the job to obtain an occupational license. Indeed, I was pleased to help get this policy adopted as American Legislative Exchange Council model legislation (https://lnkd.in/eRdXhGFY). Some years later I had the chance to talk to a young man at a prison in Cleveland, Texas, who had graduated the Prison Entrepreneurship Program and who was uplifted to hear about this legislation! This experience reminded me of why I chose to do this work, which I am now carrying forward at the Council on Criminal Justice. It was also a privilege to be honored alongside so many visionary leaders in this field, including my friends Dieter Cantu and Brian Middleton. Even as we rightly hold people who break the law accountable, we must also make space for redemption. After someone has done their time, they should be able to punch the clock! Let no man put a period where God put a comma!

As Oklahoma First Lady and senior adviser to CCJ’s Women’s Justice Commission, Sarah Stitt is passionate about addressing the unmet needs of women in the criminal justice system. Learn more about the commission at: https://lnkd.in/gnWt7jsh Stitt recently shared her perspective in the Tulsa World Media Company, highlighting the importance of improving support and resources for women in the criminal justice system. Read the piece at: https://lnkd.in/gt8VZCCs

Join the Council on Criminal Justice Centering Justice initiative and a panel of experts–John Malcolm, Lauren-Brooke Eisen, and Vikrant Reddy–for a discussion of the early presidential maneuvers, their potential impacts, and what they may reveal about what’s to come.