Improving Decision-making

Language is central to our experience, and should be an ongoing focus for anyone implementing new approaches in the criminal justice system. The way treatment court practitioners speak to and about court participants can impact their success. Research shows that language has the power to exacerbate or lessen stigma, change participants' perceptions of court and treatment, and even affect the quality of the treatment provided. Examining how team members speak to and about participants is a best practice for all treatment courts.

Diversion programs are key policy levers prosecutors can use to minimize traditional criminal legal system contact. Diversion strikes a balance between maintaining public safety, preserving scarce resources, and reducing future system involvement. Our guide provides an overview of the key data elements, study designs, and questions agencies seeking to assess and document program efficacy should consider.

To effectively address the problem of mass incarceration, prosecutors must adopt ways to respond to cases involving violence that don’t rely on jails and prisons. The "Prosecutors and Responses to Crimes of Violence: Notes from the Field" document offers in-depth case study findings and is intended as a tool for jurisdictions looking to expand alternative approaches to crimes of violence.