Learning from Failure

We encourage honest self-reflection and thoughtful risk-taking among criminal justice agencies, beginning with ourselves.

Even as we look to spread evidence-based programs, there is also a need to encourage more experimentation in the justice system. There are many problems that we do not yet know how to solve.

Trial and error is an important part of promoting innovation. With the help of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, we conducted a multi-faceted examination of failed criminal justice reforms in the United States, including case studies, individual interviews, roundtables, and a national survey of criminal justice leaders. Our findings are summarized in two books on the topic: Trial & Error in Criminal Justice Reform: Learning from Failure and Daring to Fail: First-Person Stories of Criminal Justice Reform.

Closer to home, we remain committed to an active research model. We have assigned researchers to each of our operating programs to provide us with regular feedback about what works and what doesn't so we can make adjustments as needed.

Publications & Digital Media

Label:Book

Daring to Fail

Daring to Fail is a collection of interviews with leaders in a variety of fields—prosecution, policing, community corrections, indigent defense and others—about leadership, management and innovation.

Learning from Failure
Label:Audio

When Policy Isn’t Enough: Recriminalization in Oregon

by Matt Watkins

Oregon broke with the War on Drugs three years ago, decriminalizing the possession of most illicit drugs. The measure promised instead a "health-based approach." But the state has just ended the short-lived experiment. The law faced stiff headwinds from the start: from fentanyl's arrival to a relentless opposition campaign. But part of what went wrong was a challenge for any legislation: implementation. How do you make a sweeping new approach work on the ground?

Addressing Racial Disparities, Evidence-Based Practices, Learning from Failure, Treatment Courts
Label:Publication

Sticking the Landing: The High Stakes of Policy Implementation

Every major reform is a hard-fought win, but if your goal is genuine system-change, getting your policy passed is only the beginning of your fight. With the help of a range of seasoned policy campaigners and real-world examples, our guide highlights the elements of strong, sustainable implementation, helping to ensure your policy translates into lasting change on the ground.

Addressing Racial Disparities, Learning from Failure, Reentry

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Publications & Digital Media

Publications Results

Daring to Fail

When Policy Isn’t Enough: Recriminalization in Oregon

Sticking the Landing: The High Stakes of Policy Implementation

We work with reformers around the world.