2019 YEAR IN REVIEW
We envision a society that upholds justice, offers second chances, and ensures safe and healthy communities. MISSION
We develop research-driven strategies to increase public safety and strengthen communities.
VALUES
We are committed to • Being independent and nonpartisan in every aspect of our work; • Providing rigorous, trusted, high-quality analysis; • Developing practical and innovative solutions informed by data and research; • Promoting collaboration and building consensus; and • Being inclusive and respectful of diverse views and experiences.
WHO WE ARE
We combine the power of a membership association, representing state officials in all three branches of government, with the expertise of a policy and research team focused on assisting others to attain measurable results.
Criminal and juvenile justice improvements took a huge step forward in 2019 at the federal, state, and local levels. As we prepare for another year of hard work to address the many challenges that still exist, we look back at some of the successes The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center led over the past year.
We brought people together. Second Chance Month Campaign: Throughout April, the CSG Justice
Center amplified programs, agencies, and people across the country working to make people’s transitions from prison or jail back into the community successful. We outlined the three priorities essential to shaping the next decade of reentry: broadening the reentry coalition, scaling what research shows works, and developing new knowledge. This campaign contributed to the successful reauthorization of the Second Chance Act, which provides $100 million/year to strengthen reentry programs nationwide. The reauthorization was included in the First Step Act passed in December 2018.
Stepping Up to 500: The 500th county joined our Stepping Up initiative, a
national movement to reduce the number of people with mental illnesses in jails. Across 43 states, counties have passed resolutions pledging to implement the Stepping Up approach by prioritizing committed leadership, accurate data collection, and collaboration between local mental health and justice systems.
Unified Front Policy Forum: Recognizing the uniqueness of each state, we convened leadership teams from all seven states with unified corrections systems to discuss ways to address behavioral health services in their jails.
We drove the criminal justice field forward with original research. Confined and Costly: Probation and parole are designed to lower prison
populations and help people succeed in the community. However, a state-bystate analysis we released in June reveals a harsh reality: 45 percent of state prison admissions nationwide are due to violations of probation or parole and cost states more than $9 billion annually. The study was the first to catalog the impact of violations on state prison admissions in all 50 states and the first installment in an annual series we will continue to roll out over the next three years.
On Track: How Well Are States Preparing Youth in the Juvenile Justice System for Employment? Drawing on first-of-its-kind survey data collected from all 50 states, On Track establishes an unprecedented baseline for understanding how juvenile correctional agencies are preparing youth for employment and outlines strategies for improvement.
Douglas County, Kansas: A County Justice and Behavioral Health Systems Improvement Project: Based on an intensive data review of
how people with serious mental illnesses and co-occurring substance addictions flow through the local criminal justice system, the CSG Justice Center delivered recommendations to Douglas County leadership. The resulting report presents opportunities to expand what the county is already doing well—including successfully reducing admissions of people with serious mental illness to its jail by 56 percent between 2014 and 2018—and ways to further improve system performance. It also provides other jurisdictions with ideas and inspiration as they seek to replicate Douglas County’s success.
We built momentum for policy change. Averting Costs in Wyoming: Supported by federal funding, we guided
Wyoming leaders through a Justice Reinvestment approach that led to the passage of legislation projected to reduce recidivism 25 percent by fiscal year 2024 and avert up to $18.1 million in costs. Those averted costs will be reinvested in increasing the availability and effectiveness of community-based behavioral health treatment for people on probation and parole.
Supporting Behavioral Health Services in Oregon: Jail bookings and
hospital emergency department visits are projected to drop 20 percent in the next five years as a result of a behavioral health Justice Reinvestment bill spearheaded by the CSG Justice Center, passed by the state legislature, and signed into law by Oregon Governor Kate Brown on July 15. The legislation established and injected an initial $10.6 million into a state-run program that offers counties and tribal nations assistance in building up community-based supports and services for people with mental illnesses and substance addictions who commonly end up in state jails, courts, and hospitals.
Delivering for Youth in Colorado: To address youth recidivism rates as high as 50 percent, Colorado passed the Juvenile Justice Reform Act in May, legislation shaped by recommendations and findings from our Improving Outcomes for Youth (IOYouth) initiative’s assessment of the state’s juvenile system. Colorado will now implement measures to divert youth from system involvement, limit pre-sentence incarceration, and more. The IOYouth team initiated similar projects in Sonoma County, California and Connecticut last spring.
We provided expert assistance. Integrated Reentry and Employment Strategies (IRES): Building on
recidivism-reduction strategies developed in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin and Palm Beach County, Florida, the CSG Justice Center synthesized key takeaways in the IRES Pilot Project Evaluation Report. This framework aims to connect people leaving incarceration to the right reentry and employment services at the right intensity at the right time to reduce their chance of recidivating and prepare them to be successful employees.
Police Mental Health Collaboration (PMHC) Framework: Increasingly,
law enforcement officers are not only the first, but often the only, responders to calls involving people who have mental health needs. To begin tackling that challenge, the CSG Justice Center released the Police-Mental Health Collaboration framework, which aims to help jurisdictions advance comprehensive, agency-wide responses to people who have mental illnesses.
Informing New Governors: With a historic number of governors entering
office this year, we offered rapid, on-demand support to the 22 new administrations across the country to assess their states’ criminal and juvenile systems and develop plans to improve them. We also offered more intensive guidance to four states with new administrations following an application process: Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, and Wisconsin.
Thank you to our 2019 supporters. Alkermes American Psychiatric Association Foundation Arnold Ventures Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department of Justice California Council on Criminal Justice and Behavioral Health California Department of State Hospitals Douglas County, Kansas Georgetown University Hillman Family Foundations Homebase Hudson-Webber Foundation Koch Industries Lumina Foundation MacArthur Foundation MDRC Melville Charitable Trust Michigan Department of Corrections Missouri Department of Corrections Monterey County Health Department National Conference of State Legislatures New Mexico State Legislature North Dakota Division of Juvenile Services
Office for Victims of Crime Open Society Foundations PbS Learning Institute Inc. Peg's Foundation Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency Pew Charitable Trusts Robert Wood Johnson Foundation RTI International Sonoma County Probation Department State of Alaska State of Colorado State of Hawaii, Crime Victim Compensation Commission State of Montana State of Washington Staunton Farm Foundation STRIVE International The Annie E. Casey Foundation The Jacob & Valeria Langeloth Foundation The New York County District Attorney’s Office The Tow Foundation Uber United States Interagency Council on Homelessness University of New Haven Van Ameringen Foundation