Staff and Project Partners

Director

Michael Thompson has worked on criminal justice policy issues with the Council of State Governments since 1997, getting his start with CSG’s Eastern Regional Conference. During his tenure at CSG, Thompson has launched and overseen various national policy initiatives to improve outcomes for people with mental illnesses in the criminal justice system; enhance the ability of people released from prisons and jails to succeed in the community; and increase public safety, reduce spending on corrections, and improve conditions in the neighborhoods to which most people released from prison return. These efforts have prompted congressional hearings, federal legislation, national news coverage, and bipartisan legislative and programmatic initiatives in states across the country. Prior to joining CSG, he worked for the Office of the Court Monitor in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Policy Staff

Andrew Barbee – Senior Researcher

Andrew Barbee will use his extensive background with the court and legislative processes to support the Justice Reinvestment projects in different states. Most recently, he was the senior researcher in the Texas Office of Court Administration, where he worked on a caseload study of the Texas courts. This study was used by the Texas legislature to determine the need for new courts in the state. He also worked in the Texas financial obligations report produced by that office in collaboration with us. Andy was also a manager in the System Forecasting Division of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, where he was responsible for the forecasts of the adult and child protective services populations and caseworker caseloads. His previous experience also includes a senior researcher position at the Texas Criminal Justice Policy Council, where he was responsible for developing the official adult correctional population projections for Texas and responsible for conducting impact analyses of legislation using the agency’s simulation model. Andy has an M. A. in Criminal Justice from Sam Houston State University.

Anne Bettesworth – Policy Analyst

Anne Bettesworth is a policy analyst who helps advance the justice reinvestment initiative for the Justice Center. Her previous experience includes working as a policy associate in the Government Relations Office of the American Psychological Association, and as legislative staff for a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, both in Washington, D.C. She is experienced in drafting legislative language and policy recommendations, engaging in coalition building, and organizing meetings among policymakers. Anne has a B.A. in political science from the University of Washington and a master’s degree in public administration from The George Washington University.

Jason Bryl – Database Analyst

Jason Bryl provides data analysis and project support for the CSG Justice Center’s Research Division. He has worked for over 13 years as a database analyst, specializing in government and criminal justice-related data. Before joining the Justice Center, Jason worked as an independent data consultant for projects around the country and worked for several Texas state and local agencies, including the Criminal Justice Policy Council. He received a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Marshall Clement – Project Director

Marshall Clement directs the CSG Justice Center’s justice reinvestment project, which assists policymakers seeking to increase public safety, reduce corrections spending, and improve conditions in the neighborhoods to which most people released from prison return. As part of this assistance, Marshall coordinates the work of a team of national experts to analyze corrections data and policy and develop policy options for state policymakers. He regularly facilitates meetings among judicial and state agency officials, and testifies before legislative committees in various states across the US. His findings have been used to inform policy initiatives in states that have enjoyed overwhelming bipartisan support. Before joining CSG, Clement was a policy researcher with the Rhode Island Family Life Center, a nationally recognized prisoner re-entry program, where he worked on improving access to housing and TANF resources for individuals recently released from prison and jail. Marshall received his B.A. in Public Policy with honors from Brown University.

Mike Eisenberg – Research Manager

Mike Eisenberg manages the logistics and methodology of key research and evaluation projects in the areas of parole, probation, and substance abuse and mental health treatment programs. For the past 25 years he has directed complex research projects and has written analytical reports for policymakers and correctional administrators for the state of Texas, including work for the Criminal Justice Policy Council, Board of Pardons and Paroles, and Department of Criminal Justice-Parole Division. Most recently he served as Director of Research and Evaluation for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice-Community Justice Assistance Division. He has evaluated substance abuse treatment, mentally ill offender diversion programs, faith-based correctional programs, sex offender treatment, and employment and correctional education programs. Mike also has conducted technical assistance activities for state universities and national experts in Florida and Missouri. He received a B.A. and M.A. from the University of Texas at Austin.

Tony Fabelo – Director of Research

Tony Fabelo, Ph.D., is in charge of designing, developing and implementing a research agenda for the Justice Center. He also provides technical assistance to state and local governments to help them increase public safety and make more efficient uses of state and local taxpayer dollars. Before joining CSG, he was a Senior Research Associate with the JFA Institute. He worked between 1984 and 2003 with the Texas Criminal Justice Policy Council, appointed to head this state research and evaluation agency in 1991. During Tony’s tenure on the council, he advised five governors (including former Governors Ann Richards and George W. Bush) and ten regular biennial Texas legislatures in developing criminal and juvenile justice policies. Tony received his B.A. in Political Science from Loyola University, and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin.

Megan Grasso – Policy Analyst

Megan Grasso provides assistance to state policymakers in implementing justice reinvestment strategies. Prior to joining the CSG Justice Center, she served as a legislative analyst with the Office of Management and Budget and as a legislative aide for a New Jersey state senator. She received her bachelor’s degree with honors from Rutgers University and her master’s degree in public policy from the University of Maryland.

Fred Osher – Director of Health Systems and Services Policy

Fred Osher, M.D., oversees the health components of the CSG Justice Center’s initiatives. He also provides technical assistance to state and local governments across the country seeking to improve their response to people who have mental health and/or substance use disorders and are involved in the criminal justice system. Before joining the CSG Justice Center, Osher served as the Director of the Center for Behavioral Health, Justice, and Public Policy and as an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He has published extensively in the areas of homelessness, community psychiatry, co-occurring mental and addictive disorders, and effective approaches to persons with behavioral disorders within criminal justice settings.

Marc Pelka – Policy Analyst

Marc Pelka provides assistance to state policymakers in implementing justice reinvestment strategies. Before joining CSG, Marc served as a press aide in the Connecticut House of Representatives and subsequently as a policy aide to the Speaker of the House. His duties for the Speaker consisted of legislative research, planning, and coordination, with a concentration on policy before the Judiciary Committee. Marc received his B.A. with honors from New York University and his M.P.P. in criminal justice policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Erica Tanne – Project Assistant

Erica Tanne provides state-based assistance for the CSG Justice Center’s justice reinvestment initiative. She has experience working on Capitol Hill; specifically, with the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs — as well as the ACLU Foundation’s National Prison Project. Erica is skilled in policy research, database development, conference planning, and communications outreach. She received her bachelor’s degree, with honors, from The George Washington University in 2010, where she majored in sociology and minored in political science.

Project Partners

Public Safety Performance Project

The Council of State Governments Justice Center, through its Justice Reinvestment Initiative, is a partner of the Public Safety Performance Project of the Pew Center on the States (PSPP). Justice Center staff work with the PSPP to provide expert technical assistance to states.

The PSPP assists select states that want better results from their sentencing and corrections systems by providing nonpartisan research, analysis and expertise to help states identify data-driven, fiscally responsible options for protecting public safety, holding offenders accountable, and controlling corrections costs.

The Justice Reinvestment Initiative draws on a diverse group of expert consultants who bring extensive experience and insights to the Initiative’s work.

Center for Employment Opportunities
Mindy Tarlow, Chief Executive Officer/Executive Director

Crime & Justice Institute
Elyse Clawson, Executive Director

JFA Institute
Dr. James Austin, President
Wendy Naro, Vice President

Justice Mapping Center
Eric Cadora, Director
Charles Swartz, Associate Director

McCormack, Baron, Salazar
Richard D. Baron, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO

Urban Institute
Nancy G. La Vigne, Director, Justice Policy Center

Urban Strategies, Inc.
Sandra M. Moore, President