To understand the scope and the urgency of these challenges in Minnesota, state leaders sought assistance from the Crime and Justice Institute (CJI), funded by Arnold Ventures, to examine aspects of the state’s criminal justice system. This assessment included an examination of past and current prison population trends, prison conditions in the oldest prison facilities,…
The Crime and Justice Institute is excited to share the latest edition of the Coming Home Directory, a comprehensive resource developed to support individuals navigating the reentry process. For nearly two decades, this directory has helped formerly incarcerated individuals in the Greater Boston area connect to essential support services like housing, employment, healthcare, legal aid,…
The Crime and Justice Institute’s latest report explores the impact of absconding and uplifts the voices of community supervision staff, agency leaders, and justice-involved individuals, offering guidance from the field on opportunities to create policies and promote practices that increase successful outcomes for individuals on community supervision. Developed with support from Arnold Ventures, CJI’s report,…
The Crime and Justice Institute (CJI) compared Lycoming County (Williamsport), Pennsylvania’s pretrial release, detention, and supervision practices against recognized best practices for a high-functioning pretrial system. CJI also compared the county’s pretrial system against Pennsylvania’s current and proposed legal requirements for pretrial processing. The goal of this assessment is to identify systemic changes that may…
When a person facing criminal charges fails to appear for a court hearing, no one benefits. Courts must reschedule hearings and often issue warrants, consuming time and resources. Meanwhile, people who miss court may face additional charges, fees, and even jail time. Courts need hard data on why people miss court. However, relatively few studies…
North Dakota’s Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI) Reentry Study Working Group’s comprehensive report provides 26 key recommendations for improving reentry for justice-involved individuals in the state. The goal of this JRI effort is to reduce recidivism and improve rehabilitation for justice-involved individuals in the state, to be implemented through a series of evidence-based policies. Read the…
The Crime and Justice Institute (CJI) has completed a detailed system assessment of the Juvenile Court of Memphis & Shelby County (JCMSC), providing key insights and recommendations to enhance the Court Services Division’s effectiveness. The assessment, requested by JCMSC in October 2023, aimed to understand factors and current practices that are driving the youth justice…
Safe and stable housing is essential for successful reentry, yet there are holes in programming despite best intentions. Two states, Louisiana and Tennessee, have developed innovative models to address gaps in housing, with the goal of helping people succeed as they exit the justice system—reducing recidivism and improving public safety. In the debut publication of…
On April 29, Governor Kelly Armstrong held a ceremony to sign a series of bills developed through North Dakota’s recent participation in the Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI) funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), a component of the Office of Justice Programs in the Department of Justice Office. Technical assistance for this effort was…
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