Council on Criminal Justice

How can policymakers and law enforcement agencies balance the public safety potential of new technologies while protecting privacy and civil liberties?    At CCJ's latest webinar, Chief Jason Potts said it's not about rejecting technology, but about having "a framework of strong governance, accountability, transparency & stewardship."   Hosted by CCJ's Centering Justice initiative, the webinar included a panel of experts to discuss the promise and risks of emerging policing technologies, the safeguards needed to protect constitutional rights, and how innovation can be paired with oversight and accountability.     ➡️ Watch the webinar here: https://lnkd.in/gVhgqdua

America is exceptionally good at sending members of its military into harm’s way. But how do we support those men and women when returning home?     Veterans Justice Commission Director David "Mac" MacEwen argues in the Los Angeles Times that when a veteran enters the justice system, our first instinct is to ask: What did this veteran do wrong? But we should be asking the harder question too: Are we doing enough to prevent those who served from becoming entangled in the criminal justice system?    ➡️ Read the op-ed: https://lnkd.in/gPFgT-pj      The CCJ Veterans Justice Commission examined the extent and nature of veterans’ involvement in the criminal justice system and developed recommendations for evidence-based policy changes that enhance safety, health, and justice.      ➡️ Learn more about the Commission: https://lnkd.in/g2zEkxzJ

Earlier this month, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) adopted two model policies focused on improving outcomes for pregnant and postpartum women in the justice system.    The Women’s Childbirth Alternatives, Resources, and Education (CARE) Act establishes a comprehensive framework to ensure that pregnancy and postpartum status are appropriately considered at every stage of the criminal justice process. This work builds on the leadership of Pamela Winn, CCJ Women’s Justice Commission member and President and CEO of RestoreHER US.America. CCJ’s Chief Policy Counsel Marc Levin also played an important role in presenting the policy at ALEC.    ➡️ Read the model policy here: https://lnkd.in/gci9KHWg      ALEC also adopted the Reporting on Incarceration Pregnancy and Postpartum Outcomes Act, which creates a uniform framework for collecting and reporting de-identified pregnancy and postpartum data in custodial settings.     ➡️ Read the model policy here: https://lnkd.in/gY4N6Bmi     Together, these policies represent meaningful momentum, and an important recognition that the justice system can do better for pregnant and postpartum women.      That recognition aligns closely with the work of the CCJ Women’s Justice Commission. In its first policy report, the Commission recommended that law enforcement assess pregnant women for diversion, including consideration of public safety risks and the heightened harms that arrest can pose. The Commission also recommended that state legislatures expand sentencing alternatives for pregnant and postpartum women, including deferred or community-based sentences in lieu of incarceration.     ➡️ Read the Commission's recommendations here: https://lnkd.in/gJAv43G5   ➡️ Learn more about the CCJ Women's Justice Commission here: https://lnkd.in/gnWt7jsh

How can policymakers and law enforcement agencies balance the public safety potential of new technologies while protecting privacy and civil liberties? Watch yesterday’s webinar, moderated by CCJ’s Khalil A. Cumberbatch & Marc Levin and Armando Aguilar, MPA, SHRM-SCP, Jumana Musa and Jason Potts as expert panelists: https://lnkd.in/gVhgqdua

Out today: A new CCJ analysis prepared for the Women's Justice Commission finds that women on parole are more likely than men to face housing instability, poor health, and serious mental health challenges.     While we often define successful reentry by whether or not a person reoffended, this report (authored by CCJ Policy Director Stephanie C. Kennedy, PhD, Avinash Bhati, and John Roman) offers a fuller picture of the challenges many women navigate after incarceration. ➡️ Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/gwjKRHuA

🚨 There's still time to register!    Join us today at 12:00 ET for a discussion on the promise and risks of emerging policing technologies, the safeguards needed to protect constitutional rights, and how innovation can be paired with oversight and accountability.    ➡️ Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/g4J63YSp 

Violent crime continues to fall nationwide, but deaths from roadway violence have not shown comparable drops.     Writing for The Washington Post, CCJ Senior Fellow Thaddeus Johnson and Natasha N. Johnson, EdD argue that the problem appears to have grown but remains poorly measured, calling for better data and evaluation to understand what leads to serious roadway violence and how to prevent it.    Read the op-ed: https://lnkd.in/g2NSPD3m

Ever since Gallup began asking about national crime in 1989, a majority of respondents said they thought crime in the US was higher than the year before in every survey year except 2000, 2001, and 2025. Even in that last year, 49% still said more crime was happening. It’s perhaps the archetypal example of negativity bias, the mental habit of giving more weight to bad news than good. Last week, the FBI put some numbers on just how big that bias is. The American murder rate — which peaked in 1980 at 10.2 per 100,000 — fell to an estimated 4.1 per 100,000 people in 2025, matching the rates recorded in 1955 and 1956 for the lowest ever measured in the country. Adam Gelb, who runs the Council on Criminal Justice, says that there is no single or easy explanation for the historic lows, while Jeff Asher, the analyst who spotted this decline before nearly everyone else, agrees. But there is one American city where researchers can point to a specific program, measure what it did, and put real numbers on it: Baltimore. Find out more: https://lnkd.in/g25Xartn 📸: Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service

⏰ Less than 1️⃣ week left to register! Join us next Tuesday, 8/25 from 12-1 ET for a discussion on the promise and risks of emerging policing technologies, the safeguards needed to protect constitutional rights, and how innovation can be paired with oversight and accountability. ➡️ Register here: https://lnkd.in/enDSmfUq

Identity theft, burglary, murder, and more–which crimes do Americans fear being victimized by the most? This month, the Council on Criminal Justice, with support from HFG, released a report examining just that. In “Fear of Crime in the US” researchers analyzed the public fears of different offenses, and examined the individual characteristics, neighborhoods, and broader worries associated with those fears. “Understanding what influences fear of crime is important for improving people’s quality of life and informing public safety policy” wrote the authors Ernesto Lopez and Amanda Graham. Read the full report on CCJ’s website: https://lnkd.in/g5QpUBai #HFG #HFGuggenheim #UnitedStates #Crime