Pretrial Justice Institute

Founded in the late 1970s, the Pretrial Justice Institute (PJI) works to advance knowledge and practice in criminal justice through research, demonstration projects, and technical assistance with a special focus on the fairness and efficacy of pretrial justice—the period after arrest in which individuals may be released or detained in jail pending trial. PJI has provided event planning and coordination services for a number of virtual and in-person SJC convenings, which bring together local stakeholders and national experts to explore the many aspects of jail reform. 

This award supports grantee travel to the 2024 Safety and Justice Challenge National Convening to be held in Houston, TX. MacArthur's Criminal Justice and Journalism and Media teams issued a series of collaborative awards to communications grantees in 2023 that aimed to raise awareness about the human cost and harm of incarceration, center the voices of individuals with lived experience, and invest in their leadership. The SJC National Convening will include a learning exchange session for CJ-JAM grantees to discuss best practices and latest developments in the jail reform narrative. 

Founded in the late 1970s, the Pretrial Justice Institute (PJI) works to advance knowledge and practice in criminal justice through research, demonstration projects, and technical assistance with a focus on the fairness, equity, and efficacy of pretrial justice—the period after arrest in which individuals may be released or detained in jail pending trial. This award renews support for PJI to organize, convene, and coordinate the activities of the Safety and Justice Challenge (SJC) Network, aid the local jurisdictions committed to systems reform to reduce the misuse and overuse of jails, and decrease racial and ethnic disparities. PJI manages the SJC platform for both in-person convenings and a virtual community forum to facilitate and support problem solving and learning among peers from diverse local jurisdictions committed to finding ways to reduce unnecessary jail incarceration safely and sustainably. PJI also serves as a hub to capture and archive SJC resources and learnings and provides a forum through its programs and services to support jurisdictions beyond the SJC Network interested in pretrial justice reform and access to the people and places that have implemented successful strategies.

Founded in the late 1970s, the Pretrial Justice Institute (PJI) works to advance knowledge and practice in criminal justice through research, demonstration projects, and technical assistance with a special focus on the fairness and efficacy of pretrial justice—the period after arrest in which individuals may be released or detained in jail pending trial. This award renews support for PJI to organize, convene, and coordinate the activities of the Safety and Justice Challenge Network (SJC), aid the local jurisdictions committed to systems reform to reduce the misuse and overuse of jails, and decrease racial and ethnic disparities. PJI manages the SJC platform for both in-person convenings and a virtual community forum to facilitate and support problem solving and learning among peers from diverse local jurisdictions committed to finding ways to reduce unnecessary jail incarceration safely and sustainably. PJI also provides a forum through its programs and services to support jurisdictions beyond the SJC Network interested in pretrial justice reform and the SJC models and resources.

Founded in the late 1970s, the Pretrial Justice Institute (the Institute) works to advance knowledge and practice in criminal justice through research, demonstration projects, and technical assistance, with a special focus on the fairness and efficacy of pretrial justice—the period after arrest in which individuals may be released or detained in jail pending trial. This award renews support for the Institute to organize, convene and coordinate the activities of the Safety and Justice Challenge Network (the Network), the local jurisdictions committed to systems reform to reduce the misuse and overuse of jails and decrease racial and ethnic disparities. The Network provides both in-person convening as well as a virtual community forum to facilitate and support problem solving and learning among peers from diverse local jurisdictions committed to finding ways to reduce unnecessary jail incarceration safely and sustainably. The Institute also provides a platform through its programs and services to support jurisdictions beyond the Network interested in pretrial justice reform and the Safety and Justice Challenge models and resources.

Founded in the late 1970s, the Pretrial Justice Institute (the Institute) works to advance knowledge and practice in criminal justice through research, demonstration projects, and technical assistance, with a special focus on the fairness and efficacy of pretrial justice—the period after arrest in which individuals may be released or detained in jail pending trial. This award renews support for the Institute to organize, convene and coordinate the activities of the Safety and Justice Challenge Network (the Network), the local jurisdictions committed to changing the status quo around jails in their communities and reducing the misuse and overuse of incarceration. The Network provides both in-person interaction as well as a virtual community forum to facilitate and support problem solving and learning among peers from diverse local jurisdictions committed to finding ways to reduce unnecessary jail incarceration safely and sustainably.