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- Gardiner Howland Shaw Foundation
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- Reentry and Criminal Justice Policy Work in Massachusetts
- With support from the Gardiner Howland Shaw Foundation, CJI is working with policymakers and diverse stakeholders to assess the Massachusetts criminal justice system to develop recommendations for cost-effective strategies to reduce recidivism and improve the reintegration of prisoners in Massachusetts.
- Final Report: From Incarceration to Community: A Roadmap to Improving Prisoner Reentry and System Accountability in Massachusetts
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- Criminal and Juvenile Justice Briefing Book
- Additionally, the Shaw Foundation supported the development of CJI’s “Criminal and Juvenile Justice Policy Briefing Book” as part of its effort to promote effective and efficient criminal justice policies in Massachusetts. This briefing book was presented to Massachusetts’ political candidates who will impact criminal justice policy going forward. CJI developed this document with the hope that criminal justice issues will be substantively discussed during the campaign season within the context of the important public interests they address.
- Report: Criminal and Juvenile Justice Briefing Book which was presented to Massachusetts political candidates in 2006
- Developing Guidelines for Responding to Parole Violations
- The Massachusetts Parole Board contracted with CJI to facilitate a process for the development of guidelines for responding to parole violations. First, CJI completed a review of the current process, including mapping the current system, conducting interviews, gathering and analyzing data on current cases, and reviewing available statistics about past trends. Following this baseline research, CJI worked with the Parole Board to establish clear goals for parole supervision and the violation process. CJI then helped a cross-agency working group to map a range of policy options for appropriate responses for different types of violations. The guidelines that were developed take into account the objective risk of the offender based on a validated risk assessment instrument and the severity of the violation. Following pilot testing and evaluation, the new guidelines have been successfully implemented statewide.
- Reentry Roundtables
- CJI received a grant from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety to examine three areas of offender reentry and produce large-scale public forums to discuss the issues. The examination focused on the impact of offender reentry on the communities to which they return and on the victims who live there; on the unique issues of women transitioning to the community; and on employers’ perspectives on hiring ex-offenders. CJI conducted extensive literature reviews, interviewed various stakeholders, conducted focus groups and analyzed data to fully understand the parameters of the issues. Two full-day, public forums were held and brought together approximately 20 discussants. The discussants included key stakeholders such as law enforcement, human service providers, community activists, victims of crime and state officials and legislators. A final report summarizing the research findings, roundtables and recommendations was also produced and disseminated. Final Reports
- Massachusetts Public Opinion Survey
- With funding from the Boston Foundation, CJI conducted a public opinion study to explore the thinking of Massachusetts and Boston residents about criminal justice policy on such issues as sentencing, corrections, and prisoner reintegration. This nonpartisan study was designed to explore how Massachusetts residents feel when they learn more about the issues and have a chance to consider them at some length. It aimed to understand current views, test what kinds of reforms and policies the public would support, and identify areas where they may have misperceptions or hold conflicting views. Findings from the study were used to educate policymakers and legislators about what the people of Massachusetts believe should be done with regard to criminal justice system reform and prisoner reintegration; highlight opportunities for reform that are likely to have public support; and identify areas requiring more public education before reform is accepted. The study included telephone interviews with 748 randomly sampled Massachusetts adults and in-depth focus groups that informed development of the telephone questionnaire.
Final Report: Rethinking Justice in Massachusetts
- Community Safety Forums
- In 2003-2004, CJI conducted a series of community safety forums funded by The Boston Foundation and the Gardiner Howland Shaw Foundation. This series engages the community, law enforcement, public officials, and experts in dialogue about a range of public safety issues to inform and raise the level of public discourse, motivates public officials, and harnesses the political will of constituents to demand more effective social strategies. Also as part of this initiative, CJI conducted a focus group with ex-offenders about their experiences when re-entering the community. This group was observed by key policy makers and agency leaders, who subsequently participated in a moderated discussion of how the system can be improved.
CJI received a Civic Leadership Award for Commitment to Community Safety in 2004 from The Boston Foundation for our work on this initiative.
To view any of CJI’s previous forum summary reports, please click one of the following:
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- CORI: Balancing Individual Rights and Public Access
- Wednesday, May 18, 2005
- Report (pdf)
- Presentation by Elyse Clawson (pdf)
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- Quality of Life in Our Neighborhoods: Successes & Challenges in Addressing Crime
- Thursday, January 29, 2004
- Summary Report
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- Preventing Juvenile Crime: The Role of the CHINS Law
- Tuesday, October 7, 2003
- Summary Report
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- Girls in Crisis: The Challenges for Our Community
- Friday, June 6, 2003
- Summary Report
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- Prisoner Re-entry: What are the Next Steps?
- Forum: January, 2003 and Focus Group: May, 2003
- Summary Report
- US Department of Justice’s Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative
- Through the Massachusetts Department of Correction, CJI was awarded a project to provide technical assistance to help improve statewide collaboration around prisoner reentry and facilitate implementation of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI) grant. CJI worked with a statewide steering committee and six local communities to build their capacity to form collaborative relationships that enhance the reentry process.
- Community-Based Models for Increased Public Safety
- Launched with funding from the Rockefeller Foundation, the Open Society Institute, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation, CJI’s novel Safety First model used police data to empower community members to develop and implement strategies to address specific public safety issues in their community. In a demonstration project, CJI facilitated partnerships among law enforcement, local leaders, community members, and service groups in three Massachusetts cities (Brockton, Lynn, and Lowell) to achieve public safety goals. CJI produced a monograph for the Annie E. Casey Foundation that provides the history of the project, its accomplishments, and lessons learned.
- Program Evaluation and Performance Monitoring for Direct Service Enhancement
- CJI also supports research and evaluation services for the human services operations of our parent organization, Community Resources for Justice, and its more than 1,300 clients in Greater Boston, Central and Southeastern Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. CJI produces information that assists programs in monitoring and achieving their performance goals, and designing services and programs based on current research on effective, evidence-based practices.
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