Vital City's spiffy new website is live. It's much easier to search and navigate than our old one, and hopefully still pretty and pleasant to read.
Everything on it is free, but you can/should still become a member to get our free weekly updates. www.vitalcitynyc.org
Why is it important for law enforcement to identify themselves & show their faces?
A perspective from CCJ Centering Justice’s Khalil Cumberbatch & @marclevin.bsky.social in Law & Liberty explores the wider implications of ICE officers masking—and how it can fuel mistrust & undermine transparency.
🔪This week in our newsletter What Could Go Right? we are talking about how the world is much less murderous than it used to be.
How can AI improve the New York Police Department and the justice system as a whole?
A perspective from CCJ Task Force on AI member @alexchohlaswood.com in @vitalcitynyc.bsky.social explores the potential opportunities, and risks, of the new technology: www.vitalcitynyc.org/how-to-deplo...
How can police departments showcase their work to build trust?
A perspective in @vitalcitynyc.bsky.social from @brandondelpozo.bsky.social, CCJ member and former Burlington police chief, on the legitimacy of police in the context of recent ICE-related incidents: www.vitalcitynyc.org/articles/min...
https://tinyurl.com/covering-courts
One more week until the Covering the Courts webinar, where legal affairs journalists and judges will provide tips about reporting on the law, the judiciary and the court system. It's free! Register at tinyurl.com/covering-cou.... Speakers include @mjsdc.bsky.social, @nateraymond.bsky.social and me.
Opinion: In State of the Union, Trump claimed 'the murder rate saw its single largest decline in recorded history' ‒ and the credit. But crime isn't that tidy.
How can lawyers and judges better decide which people need to be incarcerated and which don’t?
CCJ member and UC Irvine professor Emily Owens spoke about how greater justice system efficiency can enhance public trust. Watch the full webinar at: counciloncj.org/event-record...
Looking forward to co-moderating this virtual program! Sign up to join us next week!
ICYMI: Don't forget to sign up for next week's webinar on trends in gun violence. Register at the link below ⬇️
➡️ More comprehensively consider mitigating factors, such as histories of trauma and abuse, caregiving factors, behavioral health needs, and risk profiles, when making sentencing decisions.
Read the full report here: https://reports.counciloncj.org/wjc-report/
➡️ Expand alternatives to incarceration, such as diversion programs and probation, for women whose risk can be safely managed in the community and whose personal and familial needs would be better served outside of confinement.
Women who come into contact with the justice system are often grappling with complex circumstances that include trauma and interpersonal violence, economic insecurity, caregiving obligations, and behavioral health needs.
econofact.org/podcast/crim...
Huge thanks to Michael Klein for having me on EconoFact Chats to talk about my new book. We discussed how the economics toolkit is helpful for improving public safety, and much more. Link below!
"I think state lawmakers really just are much more pragmatic than the lawmakers we're used to seeing on cable news," says TPN member @jenniferdoleac.bsky.social in conversation with Jeff Asher about how research is reforming criminal justice policy.
"And so that just gives me a lot of hope."
More info: jenniferdoleac.com/vice-seminar/
The next ViCE seminar is this Thursday, March 5, at 1pm ET.
Danielle Nemschoff will present: "Does Distance from Home Matter in Prison? Effects on Visitation and Recidivism"
The Criminal Justice team at Arnold Ventures is looking for a pending/recent PhD with strong causal inference skills, for a remote, part-time consulting position.
This is a great opportunity for someone considering a transition from academia to the policy space.
Deadline: March 15
Please share!
Amid an impasse over the DHS budget, my @counciloncj.org colleague @KhaCumberbatch and I argue in Law & Liberty that masking, while occasionally necessary, shouldn't be routine, and point to police agencies that require advance documentation as to its justification. lawliberty.org/to-protect-s...
Check out my @expressnews.com op-ed on the need to end double magistration which is delaying processing of suspects arrested in San Antonio. The practice has contributed to at least one death in the Bexar County Jail while also taking officers of the streets. www.expressnews.com/opinion/comm...
“You’re more likely to be in prison in America if you’re old than if you’re young.”
At CCJ’s Member Summit, Stanford University professor Keith Humphreys demonstrated why America’s aging prison population, combined with a drop in youth arrests, will lead to lower incarceration rates.
New podcast out today celebrating @jenniferdoleac.bsky.social's new book The Science of Second Chances. It's a great chat about learning what works & how to bring about research-backed criminal justice policy.
Apple - podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...
Spotify - open.spotify.com/episode/6WE9...
www.nytimes.com/live/2026/02...
www.newsweek.com/donald-trump...
www.politifact.com/factchecks/2...
Check out the featured articles at: www.bbc.com/news/article...
apnews.com/article/fact...
www.cbsnews.com/news/fact-ch...
www.factcheck.org/2026/02/fact...
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
www.nbcnews.com/politics/don...
The CCJ Women’s Justice Commission released a research agenda, calling for targeted investment in high-quality data and research to fill major gaps in knowledge & better inform policies that improve outcomes for women, families, and communities. Check out the agenda: counciloncj.org/advancing-wo...
During last night's State of the Union, multiple fact-checking outlets turned to research from the Council on Criminal Justice as a trusted source for context on crime trends.
We’re pleased that our nonpartisan data is contributing to the national dialogue.
#SOTU #SOTU2026
What if cities measured safety not just by crime stats, but by whether people actually feel safe? Gloria Gong urges @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social to move beyond CompStat and test a new “Felt Safety Index.”
www.vitalcitynyc.org/articles/com...
My piece in The Hill with @counciloncj.org colleague Khalil Cumberbatch on a bipartisan plan to replenish the Crime Victims Fund, supporting services like D.V. shelters, counseling for sexual assault survivors & compensation for families affected by violent offenses.
thehill.com/opinion/crim...
