From the Council on Criminal Justice:
2023 brought the Council’s impact and influence to new heights. Amid growing polarization, we redoubled our efforts to tackle some of the criminal justice field’s most urgent problems and forged consensus for solutions rooted in facts, evidence, and fundamental principles of justice. Along the way, we advanced our reputation as a trusted, go-to source of data, ideas, and expertise for journalists, policymakers, and others across the ideological spectrum.
One compelling illustration of our credibility came in the year’s waning days on the most pressing issue of all – saving lives. In early December, the U.S. Department of Justice released a violence reduction roadmap based explicitly on the 10-point strategy produced by our Violent Crime Working Group, recognition that followed widespread uptake of the group’s recommendations by states and local jurisdictions. We built common ground for change on other fronts as well. Our Veterans Justice Commission produced a policy framework adopted as a national model by an influential group of state legislators, while members of our Task Force on Long Sentences bridged their diverse perspectives to reach agreement on a set of recommendations outlining a more effective use of lengthy prison terms.
As always, research drove our efforts. When partisan debates over the First Step Act surfaced in the presidential campaign, we produced analyses of recidivism that equipped policymakers and journalists with facts. Similarly, the disturbing “smash-and-grab” retail thefts caught on video prompted our research team to dig into recent trends in shoplifting, work that produced fresh data on a topic of keen interest to government, the business sector, and the media. Our crime trends reports remained a leading source of information about what is and isn’t happening with crime in our country, generating thousands of references in national outlets such as The New York Times, USA Today, Fox News, CNN, and The Wall Street Journal, as well as state, local, and specialty publications.
We hope you’ll be inspired by the many other highlights detailed below, including the addition of an impressive group of new CCJ members and exciting new projects on the horizon. As our founding mission statement declares, we believe a fair and effective criminal justice system is essential to democracy and a core measure of our nation's well-being. Despite these turbulent times, we’re proud of what we accomplished last year and look forward to 2024 with high energy and optimism. Most of all, we’re grateful for your partnership in working toward a safer, more just America.
Read the report here.
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