Expert Research and Solutions on U.S. Criminal Justice Policy Reform

Criminal Justice In America: A Research-Driven Perspective

The criminal justice system influences how communities respond to harm, pursue accountability, and define public safety. As debates continue around what justice looks like in practice, questions emerge about policing, sentencing, incarceration, and how people are treated once inside the system.

The Scholars Strategy Network includes researchers who study today’s most pressing criminal justice challenges. Explore briefs and No Jargon podcast episodes, where SSN members discuss current policies and share research-based solutions.

Featured Policy Briefs on Criminal Justice

Policy cars and bright, flashing lights at night

The Role of Empathy in Crime, Policing, and Justice

By Chad Posick

Empathy can reduce crime, improve policing, and support fairer justice by fostering understanding between people, especially through youth programs, restorative justice, and police training.

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Infant, baby holding mothers hand, white cloth background

Mothers in Prison and the Cycle of Incarceration

By Melissa Brock

Rising maternal incarceration puts children at risk of family separation and intergenerational cycles of incarceration, highlighting the need for policies that protect parent-child bonds.

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A row of prison cells with a long, grey corridor and windows

Why Alternatives to Imprisonment are Needed to Prevent Violent Crime in America

By David James Harding

Research shows prison does little to prevent future violent crime, and alternatives like probation and community-based programs can be more effective and cost-efficient at improving public safety.

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Beginning of work day for workers dressed in bright orange gear

Ending Modern-Day Slavery in California

By Brittany Friedman

California’s prison labor system pays incarcerated people cents per hour for mandatory work, continuing a legacy of slavery and raising serious ethical concerns.

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View more related briefs

Featured Podcast Episodes on Criminal Justice

Row of indoor jail cells with prison bars

Fifty Years of Mass Incarceration

Nazgol Ghandnoosh

Ghandnoosh delves into the different costs of incarceration—both on the incarcerated and on our society—and highlights efforts needed to bring down the U.S. prison population.

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People in a circle holding someones hand and comforting them

Prison Cell or Recovery Center?

Robert W. Glover

Glover explores the tension between punishment and rehabilitation in prisons, and what it would take to treat addiction as a public health issue instead of a criminal one.

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