Findings from the Urban Institute’s Assessment of State and Local Justice Reinvestment Sites

Session Submission Type: Complete Thematic Panel

Abstract

This panel will summarize findings from the Urban Institute’s (Urban) assessment of 17 local jurisdictions and 30 states engaged in the Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI), a data-driven approach to criminal justice systems reform. JRI sites receive technical assistance (TA) to conduct in-depth data analysis and identify the costs and drivers of their criminal justice populations. They then work with TA providers to identify and implement policy changes to address those drivers. Urban is the oversight, coordination, and outcome assessment provider for the initiative and will present findings from its most recent publications. The panel will summarize findings from the final brief on local reform strategies and outcomes, a state assessment report which highlights approaches to performance measurement and outcomes to date, and a series of impact analyses of specific JRI policy reforms. The discussion will highlight lessons learned and implications for future criminal justice system reform efforts.

Sub Unit

• Area VII: Criminal Justice Policy and Practice / 43: Lawmaking and Legal Change

Individual Presentations

• The Justice Reinvestment Initiative: Local Reform Strategies and Lessons Learned - Hanna Marie Love, Urban Institute; Erika Parks, Urban Institute; Lindsey Cramer, Urban Institute

• The Justice Reinvestment Initiative: State Reform Strategies and Lessons Learned - Jeremy Welsh-Loveman, Urban Institute; Samantha Harvell, Urban Institute; Julie Samuels, Urban Institute

• The Justice Reinvestment Initiative: Findings from Targeted Policy Analyses in South Dakota, Georgia and South Carolina - Samantha Harvell, Urban Institute; Bryce E. Peterson, Urban Institute; Ryan King, Urban Institute

Chair

• Samantha Harvell, Urban Institute

Discussant

• Ruby Qazilbash, Bureau of Justice Assistance