Rethinking the Way America Uses Jails: The MacArthur Foundation’s Safety and Justice Challenge

Session Submission Type: Complete Thematic Panel

Abstract

The Safety and Justice Challenge (SJC) is the MacArthur Foundation’s $75 million initiative to reduce over-incarceration by changing the way America thinks about and uses jails. In May 2015, the Foundation awarded 20 jurisdictions across the country $150,000 grants and expert counsel to create ambitious, data-driven plans that would lead to fairer, more effective local justice systems. In early 2016, 10 of these jurisdictions were selected to receive a second round of funding—between $500,000 and $2 million annually—to implement their plans for reform. This panel discusses the nuances, successes, and challenges of the implementation work in three SJC sites, from various perspectives including: 1) technical assistance providers directly supporting sites in the on-the-ground implementation process; 2) performance managers responsible for helping sites develop ambitious, empirically-driven targets and monitoring progress toward them; and 3) representatives from the sites themselves. (NOTE: This abstract will be updated once Phase II sites have been selected and site representatives identified)

Sub Unit

• Area VII: Criminal Justice Policy and Practice / 36: Causes and Consequences of Mass Incarceration

Individual Presentations

• Reducing the Overuse and Misuse of Jails in Safety and Justice Challenge Site - Sarah Picard-Fritsche, Center for Court Innovation; Rebecca Tublitz, Institute for State and Local Governance at the City University of New York; Emily West, Institute for State and Local Governance at the City University of New York

• Reducing the Overuse and Misuse of Jails in Safety and Justice Challenge Site - Nancy Fishman, The Vera Institute of Justice; Caterina Pisciotta, Institute for State and Local Governance at the City University of New York

• Reducing the Overuse and Misuse of Jails in Safety and Justice Challenge Site - Lore Joplin, Justice System Partners; Carrie Wolfson, Institute for State and Local Governance at the City University of New York

Chair

• Reagan Daly, Institute for State and Local Governance at the City University of New York