About the Justice Center
On December 3, 2006, the Council of State Governments Governing Board voted to transform the Eastern Regional Conference’s (CSG/ERC) criminal justice program into a national Justice Center. Over 10 years, CSG/ERC’s criminal justice program evolved from a regionally oriented initiative into a respected nonpartisan resource for leaders across the country. (See full Press Release)
The Governing Board’s conversion of the program into the national Justice Center positions it to serve all states to promote effective data-driven practices—particularly in areas in which the criminal justice system intersects with other disciplines, such as public health—to affect a particular public safety problem. The Justice Center will build on the solid foundation of work that program staff has conducted on criminal justice professionals’ responses to people with mental illnesses and crime victims, as well as on racial disparities, justice reinvestment, prisoner re-entry, and other complex justice-related issues.
The Justice Center’s board of directors will include state legislative leaders, judges, corrections administrators, juvenile justice agency directors, and law enforcement professionals; together, they represent a cross-section of the senior-level state officials who shape criminal justice policy. A charter group has been assembled in the interim to help draft the organization’s bylaws and provide guidance on the Center’s priorities.
The Justice Center’s 25-person staff will continue to work closely with CSG’s national Public Safety and Justice Group and its Justice Task Force, which facilitate multistate collaborative efforts, such as the Interstate Compact for Adult Offender Supervision and the Interstate Compact for Juveniles.
The Justice Center is comprised of three national projects—the Criminal Justice / Mental Health Consensus Project, the Re-entry Policy Council, and justice reinvestment.
Criminal Justice/Mental Health Consensus Project
The Criminal Justice / Mental Health Consensus Project is an unprecedented, national effort to help local, state, and federal policymakers and criminal justice and mental health professionals improve the response to people with mental illnesses who come into contact with the criminal justice system.
The landmark Consensus Project Report, which was written by CSG staff and representatives of leading criminal justice and mental health organizations, was released in June 2002. Since then, Justice Center staff working on the Consensus Project have supported the implementation of practical, flexible criminal justice/mental health strategies through on-site technical assistance; the dissemination of information about programs, research, and policy developments in the field; continued development of policy recommendations; and educational presentations.
Re-Entry Policy Council
The Re-Entry Policy Council (RPC) assists state government officials and others grappling with the increasing number of people leaving prisons and jails to return to their communities.
The RPC was formed in 2001 with two specific goals: develop bipartisan policies and principles to help elected officials and other policymakers improve the likelihood that adults released from prison or jail will avoid crime and become productive, healthy members of families and communities; and facilitate coordination and information sharing among organizations implementing re-entry initiatives, researching state policy trends, communicating about related issues, or funding re-entry programs.