After San Joaquin County adopted a slew of criminal justice reforms, crime dropped by 20 percent and hit a decades-old low. One of the things that was implemented were speciality courts saimed at decreasing arrest tim...

Many states are rolling back the punitive measures against youth who committed crimes that began in the 1980s and 1990s. After the Supreme Court ruled that mandatory life sentences for juveniles are unconstitutional, ...

At a Michigan county drug court, intense scrutiny and personalized attention for people in recovery - instead of jail time - is an approach with great promise. This in-depth look at the journey of people in the progra...

Street Outreach Court Detroit is a collaboration between the courts and service providers to waive legal and financial obligations post-conviction if a person makes a commitment to an individualized action plan. These...

Jails in Illinois are trying to step up screening of inmates for mental illness as part of increased efforts around the country to deal with the large numbers of people with mental health issues who are behind bars. M...

Washington’s Snohomish County has implemented a program that embeds social workers with the police. The program has been an effective method to bring services to people in need rather than arrest and process them as c...

Inmates in Snohomish County jails who have substance use disorder are now being given suboxone to help them manage withdrawal symptoms. Upon release, people are also being provided with supports to connected them with...

After her client and friend gets sentenced to 13 years in prison at the Washington Corrections Center for Women, Laurie Dawson, an activist, sets out to reform prison practices. With the guidance of the Bangkok Rules,...

The number of youth confined in U.S. detention facilities has dropped by nearly half since 1997, saving money and reducing recidivism. A report by the Justice Policy Institute says this has made communities safer, but...

New Zealand introduced restorative justice practices for juveniles in their criminal justice system after incredibly high rates of child incarceration and an over-representation of minorities. The practice, in places ...

Local groups in cities like St. Louis and New York are organizing to reform the criminal justice system, pushing for policies that reinstate voting rights for formerly incarcerated people, changing punishments for non...

A community court program in Newark, New Jersey provides alternative sentencing options for low-level offenders rather than jail or release that include getting help for mental health issues and addiction. It's part o...

South Fulton is the only city in the U.S. to put black women in charge of it’s criminal justice system—from the judge, to the prosecutor, to the public defender. “The result: A focus on community policing, pretrial di...

Creativity activities in prisons can provide inmates with an emotional outlet, a way to process their life experiences, and an opportunity to constructively work in a group. The theatrical performances staged at New Y...

Non-violent offenders arrested during mental health episodes in Davidson County are sent to Mental Health Court rather than criminal court. Through this court, they are connected to safety net services such as housing...

In Alaska, tribes are taking over more governmental duties from the state and this is allowing some courts to implement more traditional systems of justice that focus on healing rather than just punishment. Tribal jud...

With poaching on the rise in the South Indian Periyar Tiger Reserve, officials turned to the poachers themselves to see if they could turn their problem into a solution. In lieu of facing charges, the poachers became ...

Reaching out to juvenile offenders with support and services, rather than putting them in jail, reduces recidivism and can save public money. A program called Youth Villages is instrumental in helping youth offenders ...

In Apac prisons, inmates hold the keys. “By committing a crime, prisoners break the social pact,” says Ana Paula Pellegrino of Igarape Institute. “An Apac prison restores this by allowing inmates to work for the commu...

The Ohio Reformatory for Women is a prison that offers inmates a chance to enroll in Tapestry, an inpatient drug treatment program that tries to delve into the deeper causes women turn to drugs. It also believes in ...

While still a relatively new field, some sexual assault survivors, and perpetrators, are turning to restorative justice to make amends. Restorative justice is an approach to dealing with crime that involves the pers...

A program in Philadelphia created to divert students who get in trouble away from the juvenile justice system is poised to grow into the first Juvenile Justice Hub in the country with help from a competitive grant pro...

In Albuquerque, New Mexico, a domestic violence court offers funnels perpetrators into programs that offer counseling and other services to address the root causes of their behavior. Its two tracks focus on first-time...

A program in Albuquerque, New Mexico that successfully diverted young offenders from the criminal justice system still grappled with kids running away while under house arrest. This defeats the purpose of diversion si...

A program piloted in Seattle and now replicated in several cities nationwide aims to redirect low-level drug offenders into a case management system that can help them change their lives by connecting them with social...