Justice Reinvestment - CSG Justice Center

Justice Reinvestment is a data-driven approach to improve public safety, reduce corrections and related criminal justice spending, and reinvest savings in strategies that can decrease crime and reduce recidivism.

Justice Reinvestment

State policymakers are grappling with a unique combination of public safety challenges, including upticks in violent crime, the opioid epidemic, people who have mental illnesses in the justice system, high rates of recidivism, and the high cost of corrections, all while trying to improve services for victims and increase opportunities for people returning to communities from jail and prison. To tackle these issues, more than 30 states have partnered with the CSG Justice Center to use the Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI).

JRI is funded by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance with support from The Pew Charitable Trusts and utilizes criminal justice, behavioral health, and other reentry experts from the CSG Justice Center to

Collect data that is often siloed and under-analyzed to spotlight the most pressing trends and drivers of crime, recidivism, and costs;
Meet with a range of stakeholders and assess statutes, policies, and current practices;
Deliver findings and recommendations to state leaders and stakeholders in clear, compelling, and actionable presentations;
Help address implementation challenges once changes are adopted; and
Establish an ongoing data monitoring process.

States receiving technical assistance from the CSG Justice Center

State,Abbreviation,Status,code,x,y
Alabama,AL,Previous,us-al,6,7
Alaska,AK,None,us-ak,0,0
Arizona,AZ,Previous,us-az,5,3
Arkansas,AR,Previous,us-ar,5,6
California,CA,None,us-ca,5,2
Colorado,CO,None,us-co,4,3
Connecticut,CT,Previous,us-ct,3,11
Delaware,DE,None,us-de,4,9
District of Columbia,DC,None,us-dc,4,10
Florida,FL,None,us-fl,8,8
Georgia,GA,Previous,us-ga,7,8
Hawaii,HI,Previous,us-hi,8,0
Idaho,ID,Previous,us-id,3,2
Illinois,IL,None,us-il,3,6
Indiana,IN,Previous,us-in,3,7
Iowa,IA,Current,us-ia,3,5
Kansas,KS,Current,us-ks,5,5
Kentucky,KY,None,us-ky,4,6
Louisiana,LA,None,us-la,6,5
Maine,ME,Previous,us-me,0,11
Maryland,MD,None,us-md,4,8
Massachusetts,MA,Previous,us-ma,2,10
Michigan,MI,Previous,us-mi,2,7
Minnesota,MN,Current,us-mn,2,4
Mississippi,MS,None,us-ms,6,6
Missouri,MO,Current,us-mo,4,5
Montana,MT,Previous,us-mt,2,2
Nebraska,NE,Previous,us-ne,4,4
Nevada,NV,Previous,us-nv,4,2
New Hampshire,NH,Current,us-nh,1,11
New Jersey,NJ,None,us-nj,3,10
New Mexico,NM,Previous,us-nm,6,3
New York,NY,None,us-ny,2,9
North Carolina,NC,Previous,us-nc,5,9
North Dakota,ND,Previous,us-nd,2,3
Ohio,OH,Previous,us-oh,3,8
Oklahoma,OK,Previous,us-ok,6,4
Oregon,OR,Current,us-or,4,1
Pennsylvania,PA,Previous,us-pa,3,9
Rhode Island,RI,Previous,us-ri,2,11
South Carolina,SC,None,us-sc,6,8
South Dakota,SD,None,us-sd,3,4
Tennessee,TN,None,us-tn,5,7
Texas,TX,Previous,us-tx,7,4
Utah,UT,None,us-ut,5,4
Vermont,VT,Current,us-vt,1,10
Virginia,VA,None,us-va,5,8
Washington,WA,Previous,us-wa,2,1
West Virginia,WV,Previous,us-wv,4,7
Wisconsin,WI,Previous,us-wi,2,5
Wyoming,WY,Previous,us-wy,3,3

Justice Reinvestment News

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The Justice Reinvestment Initiative in Action: Analysis Examines Vermont’s Racial Equity in Sentencing Outcomes

June 23, 2022

In Vermont, Black people are six times more likely than White people…

The Justice Reinvestment Initiative in Action: Wyoming Invests in Community Supervision, Behavioral Health Supports

June 23, 2022

In 2019, more than half of all prison admissions in Wyoming were…

Iowa Oversight Committee on Justice Reinvestment Reviews Preliminary Results of Community-Based Corrections System Assessment

June 21, 2022

On June 2, 2022, the Iowa Oversight Committee on Justice Reinvestment met…

Rhode Island Launches Justice Reinvestment Initiative to Identify Gaps in Services and Improve Responses to Domestic Violence

May 25, 2022

Despite an overall drop in crime in recent years, domestic violence remains…

Federal Spending Bill Funds Key Criminal Justice Programs

April 4, 2022

After months of delays and negotiations, Congress recently approved a $1.5 trillion…

Kansas Aims to Combat Addiction and Reduce Recidivism with Justice Reinvestment Bills

March 22, 2022

The Kansas legislature is considering recommendations that would help people recover from…

Minnesota Governor’s Council on Justice Reinvestment Finalizes Policy Priorities for 2022 Legislative Session

March 10, 2022

The Minnesota Governor’s Council on Justice Reinvestment met for the fifth…

Minnesota Governor’s Council on Justice Reinvestment Continues Review of Proposed Policy Options

March 10, 2022

The Minnesota Governor’s Council on Justice Reinvestment met for the fourth…

Elizabeth Lyon

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.

Grace Beil Call

Deputy Division Director, State Initiatives

Grace Beil Call works to improve the administration of state victim programs—including assistance, compensation, and restitution—by working with federal, state, and local leaders. Prior to joining the CSG Justice Center, she was a visiting fellow for the Office for Victims

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of Crime at the U.S. Department of Justice and directed the Victims of Crime Act program for the Office of Crime Victims Advocacy in Washington state. Grace also previously led the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault. She started her work with victims as a volunteer at the Rape Recovery Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. She received her BS in gender studies from the University of Utah.

Ellen Whelan-Wuest

Program Director, State Initiatives

Ellen Whelan-Wuest provides policy research, analysis, and technical assistance to states going through the Justice Reinvestment process. Previously, she worked for the county manager in Durham, North Carolina, where she served on the Criminal Justice Advisory Committee and researched issues

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relating to medical care costs for the county jail system and the youth home detention facility. Ellen also worked as the Brooklyn director for a New York State Senator, and as a special assistant to the state director for a U.S. Senator in Chicago. Ellen holds a BA in Latin American history and sociology from Middlebury College, and an MA in public policy from Duke University.

Carl Reynolds

Senior Legal and Policy Advisor, Research

Carl Reynolds helps manage and develop projects related to court initiatives, corrections, sentencing reform, and juvenile justice issues. Among other projects, he works on the establishment and evaluation of public defender offices and on Justice Reinvestment strategies. Previously, Carl served

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as director of the Texas Office of Court Administration. From 1997 to 2005, he was general counsel for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), responsible for prisons, probation, and parole. He also was general counsel to the Texas Board of Criminal Justice—the governing body for TDCJ. Prior to that position, he was the executive director of the Texas Punishment Standards Commission, general counsel to the Texas Senate Committee on Criminal Justice, director of the Senate's redistricting staff, and a briefing attorney for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Carl holds a BA from the University of Cincinnati, an MA from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, and a JD from the University of Texas School of Law.

Key Staff