Arizona, Illinois, and Oregon are the first three states to be chosen for a criminal justice reform project run by the National Criminal Justice Association (NCJA) and the National Governors Association (NGA). Funded by the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, the project is helping states with evidence-based reform in several key areas. Two more states will be added to the project early next year. Each state will have policymakers and stakeholders engage in a strategic planning process.
Arizona plans to work on improving prisoner reentry and reducing offender recidivism and addressing mental health and substance use disorders among suspects and offenders. Illinois will focus on reducing prison and jail populations and strengthening information sharing practices, among other priorities. Oregon will work on reforming pretrial release and bail. Some state activities may change during the planning process. The project announced an advisory board consisting of former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett, Cabell Cropper of NCJA, Michael Jacobson of the City University of New York, Nancy La Vigne of the Urban Institute, Marc Levin of Right on Crime and the Texas Public Policy Foundation, former New York State Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman, Laurie Robinson of George Mason University, and Clay Yeager of Evidence Based Associates.