Modern criminal justice reforms have called for the use of risk-need-responsivity (RNR) theory to help reduce the inherent subjectivity in case processing. Yet there is growing concern over racial bias and misclassification in risk assessment. This research-based module dives deep into the origins and core principles of RNR and its inherent limitations.
In an effort to help practitioners consider the implications of applying Risk-Need-Responsitivy (RNR) principles and learn how to effectively administer risk-need tools, the Center developed the training series, Administering the Criminal Court Assessment Tool.
In recent years, justice reform efforts have included the use of risk assessments to inform pretrial decision-making and minimize subjective bias. However, risk-need tools must be used in a targeted way that reduces detention, identifies salient needs, and alleviates racial disparities. This guidesheet offers strategies for implementing the Criminal Court Assessment Tool (CCAT) to help mitigate bias and create positive case outcomes.
What would it mean to decriminalize mental health—to stop criminalizing the symptoms of what is very often untreated mental illness? And what would it mean to put racial justice at the center of that effort? The outcomes of the criminal legal system being what they are, those two questions are really one. Hear a lively discussion on our New Thinking podcast.
Governments across the country are shoring up responses to crime, rather than minimizing the need for these responses in the first place. Highlighting recent research and encouraging examples of innovation, this policy brief makes the case that community safety is part of community justice, and that public safety investment needs to be expanded "upstream," beyond the boundaries of the criminal legal system.
Housing justice is a through line in the Center for Justice Innovation’s efforts to build safety and racial justice. In our new video, you’ll meet tenants, Center staff, and partners from the community and government working to prevent evictions, respond to tenant needs, and support access to safe, stable, and affordable housing.
Arielle Freedman, Associate Director for Pretrial Clinical Practice at the Center for Justice Innovation, underscores the importance of using the CCAT interview as a starting point for building a foundation of trust and rapport with participants. She encourages practitioners to be responsive, person-centered, and aware of their own internal biases and projections in their work with participants.
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?
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.
The criminal legal system has a well-documented history of racial disparities and mistreatment of minoritized racial and ethnic groups. Treatment courts are a part of this same system and unfortunately, have not been exempt from racial and ethnic disparities in its programs. American University and the Center for Justice Innovation collaborated to assist treatment courts in several states in tackling racial and ethnic disparities.
