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 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,None,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,Current,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,None,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,Previous,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,Current,us-wy,3,3

Justice Reinvestment News

See All

Kansas Criminal Justice Reform Commission Approves Recommendations

December 1, 2020

The Kansas Criminal Justice Reform Commission voted on final policy recommendations to…

WATCH: Facing Budget Shortfall, Kansas Rep. Owens Says Criminal Justice Changes Could Be Solution

November 2, 2020

Through the Justice Reinvestment Initiative, Kansas Rep. Stephen Owens is helping lead…

WATCH: A Career Prosecuting Violent Crimes Gives District Attorney Perspective on Drug-Related Offenses

November 2, 2020

Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett is leading efforts to safely improve…

Thaddeus Watts Has “Been Through the Storm.” Workforce Training Helped Him Weather It.

October 26, 2020

Few receive training in Kansas prisons. Thaddeus Watts was one of them.

Vermont to Reinvest Criminal Justice Savings in Domestic Violence Programming

October 23, 2020

Vermont will reinvest nearly $700,000 in community-based programs to reduce recidivism with…

Kansas Criminal Justice Reform Commission Discusses Policy Recommendations

October 19, 2020

Staff from the CSG Justice Center met with the Kansas Criminal Justice…

States Taking Action: Flipping the Script on Parole

September 29, 2020

Justice Reinvestment legislation recently passed in Vermont is the latest example of…

Kansas Launches Bipartisan Effort to Address Criminal Justice and Fiscal Challenges

September 11, 2020

Reentry and behavioral health programming are among the issues the state is…

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. Previously, 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 as well as directed the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) 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. Previously, Carl served as director of the Texas Office of Court Administration. From 1997 to 2005, he was general counsel for the

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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. Among other projects, he works on the establishment and evaluation of public defender offices and on justice reinvestment strategies. Carl holds a JD from the University of Texas School of Law, an MA from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, and a BA from the University of Cincinnati.

Key Staff