COVID-19 Assistance for the Justice Community

The latest developments and resources for state and local governments officials.
Last updated: June 9, 2021 at 2:20 p.m. ET

The ever-changing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic requires policymakers and criminal justice practitioners to rapidly adapt their day-to-day operations to the situation at hand. While the pace and scale of the crisis can be overwhelming, the CSG Justice Center is committed more than ever to supporting its members—state and local officials working in all three branches of government in criminal and juvenile justice, behavioral health, housing, and labor.

Since the start of this crisis, our staff have been speaking with hundreds of policymakers and practitioners across all 50 states to identify new challenges, share ideas, and partner together to develop innovative strategies at a pace that matches the rapid response required right now. Our assistance cuts across four key areas:

  1. Supporting successful reentry in the wake of COVID-19
  2. Helping communities safely divert people with behavioral health needs from arrest and release them from local jails
  3. Using data to improve safety and health for people living and working in prisons
  4. Safeguarding prior success in reducing juvenile incarceration rates and improving overall youth outcomes

As we develop new ideas and learn more from those on the front lines, we’ll be sure to share updates here. If you need assistance in your state, please send inquiries to JCCovid19@csg.org.

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Our Experts


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Director
As director of the CSG Justice Center, Megan Quattlebaum leads a staff of more than 140 who work across an array of specialties that span the criminal justice continuum to develop research-driven strategies to increase public safety and strengthen communities.
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Before joining the organization, Megan most recently served as a research scholar in law and the program director of the Justice Collaboratory at the Yale Law School, where she taught as well as developed and oversaw research projects and led the organization’s work on behalf of the National Initiative for Building Community Trust and Justice. She was also the Senior Liman Fellow in Residence for the Arthur Liman Center for Public Interest Law and served as a lecturer in law at Columbia Law School. Additionally, she has served as a practicing criminal and civil defense attorney with Zuckerman Spaeder LLP in New York and an Arthur Liman Public Interest Fellow and attorney at the Neighborhood Legal Services Association in Pittsburgh. She also clerked for the Hon. Julio M. Fuentes of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. She received her BA from Sarah Lawrence College and her JD from the Yale Law School.
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    Deputy Director
    Marshall Clement provides strategic leadership across the breadth of the CSG Justice Center’s policy and programmatic work to increase public safety and strengthen communities. Previously, Marshall served as the organization’s director of the State Initiatives Division. Over a 13-year tenure
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    at the CSG Justice Center, Marshall led the growth and evolution of the Justice Reinvestment Initiative program, which assists policymakers seeking to reduce spending on corrections and reinvest savings in strategies that lower recidivism rates and increase public safety. As part of this process, Marshall coordinated the work of a team of policy analysts and national experts to analyze corrections data and policy and develop policy options for policymakers in 27 states. He regularly facilitated meetings among judicial and state agency officials and testified before legislative committees in various states across the country; his findings have been used to inform policy initiatives that have enjoyed overwhelming bipartisan support. Marshall received his BA in public policy with honors from Brown University.
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    Director, Behavioral Health
    Dr. Ayesha Delany-Brumsey oversees the Behavioral Health Division and its various portfolios, which focus on how parts of the criminal justice system intersect with the mental health, substance addiction, and homelessness systems, among others. Before joining the organization, Ayesha was
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    most recently the director of Behavioral Health Research and Programming at the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice in New York City. Prior to that, she was the director of the Substance Use and Mental Health program at the Vera Institute. She received her PhD in clinical psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles.
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    Senior Policy Advisor, Corrections and Reentry
    Dr. Nicole Jarrett provides guidance on diversion, treatment, and reentry initiatives. She previously served as director and deputy director of the Corrections and Reentry Division. Prior to this role, Nicole served as the director of health policy research at the
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    National Medical Association, where she led projects to strengthen the public health safety net and improve the quality of care provided in underserved communities. She also served as the director of community health policy at the Baltimore City Health Department, where she directed the city’s participation in the Community Voices: Healthcare for the Underserved Initiative. She received her BS from Rutgers University and her PhD in health policy and management from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Center of Behavioral Health Services and Criminal Justice Research at Rutgers University.
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    Director, State Initiatives
    Elizabeth K. Lyon directs the State Initiatives Division, which partners with local, state, and federal leaders to address site-specific challenges in the criminal justice system. The State Initiatives portfolio includes the Justice Reinvestment Initiative, improving outcomes for victims of crime,
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    increasing data collection and reporting, leveraging technology and research to reduce revocations, and other initiatives that help states create sustainable criminal justice improvements. Elizabeth joined the CSG Justice Center in 2012 and previously served as program director for implementation of Justice Reinvestment and as deputy division director. Prior to joining the CSG Justice Center, Elizabeth was the director of governmental relations for the State Bar of Michigan, where she directed the public policy program. She holds a BA from the James Madison College at Michigan State University.
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    Deputy Division Director, Corrections and Reentry
    Josh Weber directs the CSG Justice Center's juvenile justice program, which focuses on helping states use effective methods to reduce recidivism and improve outcomes for youth in contact with the juvenile justice system. Previously, Josh spent 10 years working on
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    building the capacity of programs and systems that serve vulnerable youth in the juvenile justice, youth development, workforce development, and child welfare systems. Josh managed research programs for the Youth Development and Research Fund in Maryland and the Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago. In addition, Josh led the development and implementation of NYC Administration for Children’s Services' alternative to placement and reentry program for juveniles using evidence-based practices. He also directed the District of Columbia’s Justice Grants Administration, which managed all federal juvenile and criminal justice grants for the District. Josh received his BA in psychology from Duke University and his MPA from Princeton University.
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