Center for Justice Innovation

The Center for Justice Innovation (CJI) works to create a more effective and humane justice system by designing and implementing programs, performing original research on effective practices, and providing training and technical assistance to reformers around the world in launching new strategies. This award enables CJI to engage with Change Matters, an organization with deep expertise and experience in helping local communities design, implement, and sustain inclusive, equity-driven community engagement practices, to organize a series of community engagement convenings in select SJC sites. Through these convenings, Change Matters seeks to build more authentic equity-driven community engagement to support local criminal justice reform.

The Center for Justice Innovation (CJI) works to create a more effective and humane justice system by designing and implementing operating programs, performing original research on effective practices, and providing training and technical assistance to reformers around the world in launching new strategies. This award enables CJI to increase its capacity as a technical assistance provider and coordinator of the Racial Equity Cohort in the Safety and Justice Challenge (SJC), the Foundation’s criminal justice reform initiative aimed at reducing over-incarceration and eliminating racial and ethnic disparities by targeting the misuse and overuse of jails. CJI plans to engage Change Matters, an organization with deep expertise and experience in helping local communities design, implement, and sustain inclusive, equity-driven community engagement practices, to support the SJC’s demand for more technical assistance on community engagement.

The Center for Justice Innovation (CJI) works to create a more effective and humane justice system by designing and implementing operating programs, performing original research on effective practices, and providing training and technical assistance to reformers around the world in launching new strategies. This award supports CJI’s continued participation as a site coordinator in the Safety and Justice Challenge (SJC), the Foundation’s criminal justice reform initiative aimed at reducing over-incarceration and eliminating racial and ethnic disparities by targeting the misuse and overuse of jails. CJI works with the Foundation and other initiative partners on the ongoing planning, monitoring, and coordination of the initiative. It also provides intensive technical assistance and subject matter expertise to a group of SJC Network sites seeking to understand the drivers of local jail usage and racial inequities, and to implement and sustain strategies to address them. CJI’s activities have expanded to include participation in various efforts to extend the initiative’s reach and spread its influence to new jurisdictions and to the nation as a whole, including the sharing of learning and policy and practice innovations across peer and professional networks and a sharper focus on eliminating racial inequities. CJI also coordinates the SJC’s Racial Equity Cohort, a select group of Challenge sites and community partnerships poised to go deeper on addressing racial disparities in their local jails.

The Center for Justice Innovation (the Center) works to create a more effective and humane justice system by designing and implementing operating programs, performing original research on effective practices, and providing training and technical assistance to reformers around the world in launching new strategies. This award supports the Center’s continued participation as a site coordinator in the Safety and Justice Challenge (SJC), the Foundation’s criminal justice reform initiative aimed at reducing over-incarceration and eliminating racial and ethnic disparities by targeting the misuse and overuse of jails. The Center works with the Foundation and other initiative partners on the ongoing planning, monitoring, and coordination of the initiative. It also provides intensive technical assistance and subject matter expertise to a group of SJC Network sites seeking to understand the drivers of local jail usage and racial inequities, and to implement and sustain strategies to address them. The Center’s activities have expanded to include participation in various efforts to extend the initiative’s reach and spread its influence to new jurisdictions and to the nation as a whole, including the sharing of learning and policy and practice innovations across peer and professional networks and a sharper focus on eliminating racial inequities. The Center also coordinates the Challenge Network's Racial Equity Cohort, a select group of Challenge sites and community partnerships poised to go deeper on addressing racial disparities in their local jails. The Center operates as a project of the Fund for the City of New York, which provides administrative, legal, and other support to nonprofit enterprises such as the Center.