Research
From examining the role of trauma in justice involvement for young people, to chronicling states’ progress toward reducing prison populations, to highlighting the system's stark racial disparities, JPI stays at the cutting edge of the debate on criminal and juvenile justice reform through the ongoing publication of timely, accessible research.
Here, you can use find JPI’s reports, briefs and factsheets on the most pressing criminal and juvenile justice issues.
[POLICY BRIEF 2020] Washington, DC's Young Adult Justice Reforms- Sep 22, 2020
- Traditionally, criminal justice system involved young, or emerging, adults age 18-25 have been treated in the same ways as older adults. In recent years, jurisdictions around the country have been…
[POLICY BRIEF 2020] Sticker Shock: The Cost of Youth Incarceration- Jul 30, 2020
- In 2014, when the Justice Policy Institute first analyzed the cost of secure youth confinement, 33 states and the District of Columbia reported an annual cost per youth that eclipsed $100,000. In…
[Policy Brief 2020] The Presence of School Resource Officers (SROs) in America's Schools- Jul 10, 2020
- Communities across the country have come together to demand meaningful changes to law enforcement practices in the wake of the tragic murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Rayshard Brooks at…
[REPORTS 2020] The Child Not the Charge: Transfer Laws Are Not Advancing Public Safety- Jun 24, 2020
- Over the last 20 years, elected officials and juvenile justice system stakeholders have changed policies and practices to create a more developmentally appropriate youth justice system, resulting in…
[REPORTS 2020] Maryland Faces COVID-19 Crisis in Prisons Without Immediate Steps to Decarcerate- Apr 27, 2020
- The nonprofit Recidiviz has created an online model built specifically for institutional populations that projects transmission of the COVID-19 virus using state-specific data on the prison…
[REPORTS 2020] Restoring Local Control of Parole to the District of Columbia- Jan 23, 2020
- In January 2019, the District of Columbia government enlisted the Justice Policy Institute to explore the feasibility of restoring local control of parole and make recommendations for how release…
[POLICY BRIEFS 2019] Rethinking Approaches to Over Incarceration of Black Young Adults in Maryland- Nov 6, 2019
- NEW POLICY BRIEF: Maryland leads the nation in incarcerating young Black men, sentenced to the longest prison terms, at a rate 25% higher than the next nearest state — Mississippi. State has…
[REPORTS 2018] The Ungers, 5 Years and Counting: A Case Study in Safely Reducing Long Prison Terms and Saving Taxpayer Dollars- Nov 15, 2018
- The Ungers, 5 Years and Counting
[POLICY BRIEFS 2018] Maryland Justice Reinvestment Act: One Year Later- Oct 31, 2018
- Maryland Justice Reinvestment Act
[REPORTS 2018] Smart, Safe, and Fair: Strategies to Prevent Youth Violence, Heal Victims of Crime, and Reduce Racial Inequality- Sep 4, 2018
- [Reports 2018] Smart, Safe, and Fair: Strategies to Prevent Youth Violence, Heal Victims of Crime, and Reduce Racial Inequality
[REPORTS 2017] The Cost of Crimmigration: Exploring the Intersection Between Criminal Justice and Immigration- Justice Policy Institute, Jun 13, 2017
- Exploring the intersection between criminal justice and immigration
[REPORTS 2017] Raise the Age- Justice Policy Institute, Mar 7, 2017
- Shifting to a safer and more effective juvenile justice system.
[REPORTS 2016] Improving Approaches to Serving Young Adults in the Justice System- Justice Policy Institute, Dec 7, 2016
- JPI convened advocates, policymakers, practitioners, funders, and directly impacted individuals to flesh out what more effective approaches to serving young adults in the justice system.
Bail Fail: Why the U.S. Should End the Practice of Using Money for Bail- Melissa Neal, Justice Policy Institute, Sep 11, 2012
- JPI's newest analysis shows that the practice of using money to decide release while awaiting trial unfairly impacts low-income communities.
[REPORTS 2016] Defining Violence: Reducing Incarceration by Rethinking America's Approach to Violence- Aug 23, 2016
- In Defining Violence, JPI says it's impossible the U.S. will be able to lower its incarceration rate significantly without changing how the justice system treats violent crimes.
- Crime Statistics and Holistic Violence Prevention
- Justice Policy Institute, Sep 26, 2016
- As homicides increase in America, learn how we can invest in holistic approaches in violence prevention.
Gaming the System: How the Political Strategies of Private Prison Companies Promote Ineffective Incarceration Policies- Paul Ashton, Justice Policy Institute, Jun 22, 2011
- Report examining how private prison companies wield influence over legislators and policy, ultimately resulting in harsher criminal justice policies and the incarceration of more people.
The Right Investment? Corrections Spending in Baltimore City- Feb 25, 2015
- According to a new report released today by the Justice Policy Institute and the Prison Policy Initiative, Maryland taxpayers are spending $5 million or more to incarcerate people from each of about…
Billion Dollar Divide: Virginia's Sentencing, Corrections and Criminal Justice Challenge- Justice Policy Institute, Apr 2, 2014
- Billion Dollar Divide points to racial disparities, skewed fiscal priorities, and missed opportunities for improvements through proposed legislation, and calls for reforms to the commonwealth ’…
Parole Perspectives in Maryland: A Survey of People Who Returned to Prison from Parole and Community Supervision Agents- May 12, 2015
- A new analysis from JPI shows the connection between efforts to reduce prison populations, connect people to work, and address the challenges of Baltimore’s distressed communities.
- Report Questions Virginia’s Billion Dollar Corrections Budget
- Apr 2, 2014
- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: ZERLINE HUGHES APRIL 2, 2014 202.558.7974 X 308 202.320.1029 Report Questions Virginia’s Billion Dollar Corrections Budget Commonwealth’s African-American…
Virginia's Justice System: Expensive, Ineffective and Unfair- Spike Bradford, Nov 13, 2013
- Virginia's Justice System: Expensive, Ineffective and Unfair points to reforms that, if implemented, would result in relief for Virginians directly impacted by the justice system and taxpayers alike.
BAIL REFORM UPDATE 2013: Pretrial Services Programs Refined and Expanded Their Reach, while the Bail Industry Continued to Fight Forfeiture Collection and Non-financial Release- Spike Bradford, Sep 30, 2013
- This brief provides an update on pretrial and bail reform over the last year as a follow up to JPI's 2012 Bail Month Report Series.
Fostering Change: How Investing In D.C.’s Child Welfare System Can Keep Kids Out of the Prison Pipeline- Katie Ishizuka and Paul D. Ashton, Apr 9, 2013
- Children in Washington, D.C.’s child welfare system are at greater risk for involvement in the justice system due to abuse, neglect and home removal that stem from conditions of poverty,…
Two New Reports Show Juvenile Confinement Reform in Five States- Spike Bradford, Richard A. Mendel, Feb 27, 2013
- Removing young people who engage in delinquent behavior from their homes and communities and incarcerating them, is no longer the status quo in five states, say two new reports by JPI.
JPI Bail Report Series- Oct 5, 2012
- JPI published three reports on the U.S. bail system in an effort to raise public awareness on an issue that is not often highlighted -- and one that most people do not fully understand.
Bailing on Baltimore: Voices from the Front Lines of the Justice System- Jean Chung, Sep 26, 2012
- Third report in the series on bail that connects the first two quantitative reports on money bail and the for-profit bail industry to the actual experiences of people who have been involved in the…
Juvenile Justice Reform in Connecticut: How Collaboration and Commitment Have Improved Public Safety and Outcomes for Youth- Richard A. Mendel, Feb 27, 2013
- Juvenile Justice Reform in Connecticut highlights the past two decades of Connecticut’s successful efforts to improve responses to youth who engage in delinquent behavior and to reduce the…
- Five States Dramatically Reduce the Number of Youth in Juvenile Detention Centers
- Feb 27, 2013
- New Reports: Five States Dramatically Reduce the Number of Youth in Juvenile Detention Centers Serving as a national model, CT, MN, TN, AZ and LA slashed the number of young people in confinement by…
Sticker Shock: Calculating the Full Price Tag for Youth Incarceration- Dec 9, 2014
- Our new report, Sticker Shock: Calculating the Full Price Tag for Youth Incarceration, provides estimates of the overall costs resulting from the negative outcomes associated with youth…
Mindful of the Consequences: How Improving the Mental Health of D.C. Youth Benefits the District- Melissa Neal, Justice Policy Institute, Jun 21, 2012
- This brief examines the intersection of youth mental health and the justice system in Washington, D.C.
United States Continuing to Overspend on Police, Despite Decreasing Crime Rates- Justice Policy Institute, May 22, 2012
- Although crime rates are at the lowest they have been in over 30 years, the number of arrests has declined only slightly between 2009 and 20102 and the U.S. still spends more than $100 billion on…
Measured Responses: Why increasing law enforcement in schools is not an effective public safety response to the Newtown tragedy- Dec 22, 2012
- In light of the horrific school shootings this month in Newtown, Connecticut, some have called for increasing armed police presence in schools. School safety should be a priority: it is not only…
- Drop in Crime Continues in the U.S.
- Nov 1, 2012
- Crime continues to drop throughout the United States, according to the full 2011 Uniform Crime Report released by the FBI on October 29, 2012. The Justice Policy Institute (JPI), a Washington, D.C.…
For Better or For Profit: How the Bail Bonding Industry Stands in the Way of Fair and Effective Pretrial Justice- Spike Bradford, Sep 18, 2012
- Second in series on bail recommends the U.S. should end for-profit bail bonding; promote and further institutionalize pretrial services; and require greater transparency within the industry.
Working for a Better Future: How expanding employment opportunities for D.C’s youth creates public safety benefits for all residents- Spike Bradford, Justice Policy Institute, Apr 26, 2012
- This brief examines the intersection of youth employment and public safety in Washington, D.C.
Education Under Arrest: The Case Against Police in Schools- Amanda Petteruti, Justice Policy Institute, Nov 15, 2011
- The presence of school resource officers in schools, drives up arrests, causes lasting harm to youth, and disrupts the educational process.
The Education of D.C.: How Washington D.C.’s investments in education can help increase public safety.- Paul Ashton, Justice Policy Institute, Feb 15, 2012
- This brief examines the intersection of education and public safety in Washington, D.C.
Behind the Times: President Obama's FY2013 Budget- Justice Policy Institute, Feb 16, 2012
- Despite the fact that prison populations have fallen for the first time in 40 years, President Obama’s FY2013 budget released this week devotes more than $27 billion to prison and policing.
- Education is Key to Public Safety
- Press Release, Feb 15, 2012
- Lack of investment across D.C. causes disparities, disadvantages communities
Wrong Track for Savings: How Florida’s prison population became a runaway train, and why better policies, not private prisons, can put the brakes on correctional costs- Justice Policy Institute, Feb 7, 2012
- How Florida’s prison population became a runaway train, and why better policies, not private prisons, can put the brakes on correctional costs
Crime, Incarceration Down in 2010- Justice Policy Institute, Sep 19, 2011
- According to FBI Uniform Crime report data released today, violent and property crimes are down across the country while states are reducing prison populations.
System Overload: The Costs of Under-Resourcing Public Defense- Kate Taylor, Emerson National Hunger Fellow with the Congressional Hunger Center, Jul 27, 2011
- The overburdening of U.S. public defense systems that serve millions of people annually is jeopardizing the fairness of our justice system.
- Violent, Property Crime Down Nationally, FBI Reports
- Press Release, May 23, 2011
- Both violent crime and property crime in the U.S. are down again this year, according to figures released today by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The agency’s annual Uniform Crime…
Creating the Roadmap for Reduction: Reducing the Number of Women in Prison in Alabama- Justice Policy Institute, Apr 27, 2011
- This brief is a summary of the process that JPI used to develop recommendations and support their implementation, as well as a summary of how the recommendations worked to reduce the number of women…
FBI: Crime Fell in 2010- Justice Policy Institute, May 23, 2011
- According to the FBI's annual Uniform Crime Report, violent and property crime is down nationally. This comes at a time when state prison populations feel and states spent less money on corrections.
Due South: Looking to the South for Criminal Justice Innovations- Justice Policy Institute, May 24, 2011
- Recognizing the significant costs associated with high incarceration rates, a number of Southern states have implemented innovative strategies for reducing prison and jail populations.
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