Council on Criminal Justice’s Post

Today CCJ launched the Women’s Justice Commission. The national, nonpartisan panel is led by Loretta Lynch, who championed women’s issues as U.S. Attorney General, and features a diverse array of other leaders as well as First Lady of Oklahoma Sarah Stitt, who serves as Senior Adviser. The Commission will document and raise awareness of the unique challenges facing women in the justice system and produce recommendations for evidence-based reforms to advance safety, health, and justice. Meet the commissioners: https://lnkd.in/gnWt7jsh The launch comes as gaps between women and men have narrowed on some key criminal justice measures. Women are now just as likely to be victims of violent crime. They now account for more than one quarter of adult arrests. The rate of women’s jail incarceration has been edging up; the men’s rate has been going down. Said Lynch: “We can and must do better to reduce the flow of women into the justice system, help them maintain relationships with children and families during incarceration, and provide the support they need to thrive after release.” Commission Director Stephanie Akhter said the 16 commissioners and team of advisers have “the experience, expertise, and passion needed to create tangible, evidence-based solutions to the unique challenges faced by women in our criminal justice system. Building off the efforts of others who came before us,” she added, “we will produce a roadmap to not only improve the lives of women and strengthen families, but also prevent crime and break intergenerational cycles of victimization and incarceration.” At its inaugural meeting in NYC today, the Commission released reports that highlight key trends and paint a statistical portrait of justice-involved women, establishing a foundation for future work. Explore the research: https://lnkd.in/gzxZ_FuD CCJ is grateful to those supporting the Women’s Justice Commission: Ford Foundation, George Kaiser Family Foundation, the Joan Ganz Cooney & Holly Peterson Fund, The Just Trust, Ms. Foundation for Women, the Navigation Fund, the NFL, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, Southern Company Foundation, and the Tow Foundation, as well as John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and other CCJ general operating contributors. Courtney Bryan Norma Cumpian Nancy Gertner Leticia Longoria-Navarro Chris Mathias Anne Precythe Emily J. Salisbury Dr. Topeka K. Sam Brenda Smith Jillian Snider Carolyn Sufrin Whitney Westerfield Pamela Winn

With the launch of CCJ’s Women’s Justice Commission, we’re featuring commissioners and their “why” for deciding to join us in this work. We begin with our chair, Loretta Lynch, who championed women’s justice issues as U.S. Attorney General and served as co-chair of CCJ’s National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice.    Learn more about Lynch at: https://lnkd.in/ecegni7z #MeetWJC 

CCJ's Women's Justice Commission kicked into gear with an inaugural meeting in NYC this week! Former U.S. Atty. Gen. Loretta Lynch chairs the group, which includes Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzales and 14 other ideologically diverse members, led by Director Stephanie Akhter. The meeting included a visit to the Center for Justice Innovation’s Brownsville Community Justice Center, which seeks to improve public safety through a holistic approach that includes programs supporting healing and healthy development for young women and girls.

Along with launching the Women’s Justice Commission this week, CCJ released two reports on key trends involving justice-involved women that will serve as a foundation for the panel’s work. Women’s Justice: By the Numbers is a collection of charts that provide a comprehensive portrait of women in the justice system. It was produced by CCJ Research Specialist Kathy Sanchez, Policy Specialist Cameryn Farrow, and Policy Director Stephanie C. Kennedy, PhD, MSW. Key findings from the report include:  Women’s contact with the criminal justice system has trended upward in recent decades, while men’s contact has trended downward. This includes higher arrest rates for women (41% higher in 2019 than in 1980) and higher rates of jail incarceration for females (12% higher in 2019 than in 2010). Females also make up a larger share of violent crime victims in the community—51% of all victimizations in 2022 compared to 41% of all victimizations in 1993. The share of female arrests is up in part due to trends in arrest rates for violent and drug crimes. In 2019, the women’s arrest rate was 63% higher for violent crimes and 317% higher for drug crimes than in 1980. Men’s violent crime arrest rate was 35% lower over the same period.    In 2022, three fourths of women (74%) under correctional control were serving a probation sentence, compared to half of men (49%).     In 2016, 58% of the women in state and federal prisons were parents to minor children, compared to less than half of the men (47%). Data also suggest that mothers were more than twice as likely as fathers to be the sole or primary caretaker of their children before entering jail or prison.    Racial disparities in female imprisonment rates narrowed from 2000 to 2022. In 2022, the imprisonment rate was 69% lower for Black females, 18% lower for Hispanic females, and 18% higher for White females than in 2000. Explore more trends from the report, and stay tuned for new releases from the Commission over the coming months: https://lnkd.in/gbQQr4QX 

CCJ Senior Fellows Thaddeus Johnson and Walter Katz spoke to Ashley Luthern of Yahoo News for a piece on how Milwaukee police might handle protests at next week's Republican National Convention: https://lnkd.in/gFAr3gpi

An inaugural member of CCJ’s Board of Directors, Gerald Malloy has served in the South Carolina Senate since 2002. Among his other accomplishments, he was the key legislative champion for his state’s 2010 criminal justice reform, which led to a 13 percent drop in recidivism, the closing of six prisons, and savings of nearly $500 million. A past president of the South Carolina Trial Lawyers Association, Malloy also helped establish South Carolina’s statewide public defense system and has served on the state’s Commission on Indigent Defense since 2005. Other roles throughout his career include service on the Senate’s Joint Task Force on Criminal Domestic Violence; membership on the South Carolina Supreme Court Commission on Lawyer Conduct and the Judicial Qualifications Committee of the South Carolina Bar Association; and serving as chair of the Public Defenders Board of the Darlington County Bar Association. In 2016, Malloy became the first legislator to receive the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers’ Champion of State Criminal Justice Reform Award, which recognizes an individual or group whose exceptional efforts have led toward progressive reform of a state criminal justice system.

July 4th is a time to honor and thank current service members, while remembering the sacrifices of veterans. Loud noises and flashing lights can be triggering for those with PTSD and other service-related mental health disorders. Learn more at: https://lnkd.in/gCjxcufK As part of its ongoing work, CCJ’s Veterans Justice Commission produced a policy roadmap to help states expand alternatives to prosecution and incarceration for veterans whose PTSD and other service-related conditions drive criminal offending: https://lnkd.in/gHNMGmnk

“Big social and economic forces appear to have been behind the sharp trends that began in 2020, but now there is considerable variation between cities and crime types that suggests local factors are becoming more significant,” said Adam Gelb, president and CEO of the Council on Criminal Justice. Keep an eye out for CCJ's mid-year 2024 crime trends report - scheduled for release in just a few weeks! https://lnkd.in/gkGTEx-c