“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...
26.02.2026 15:03 — 👍 3 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 0
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...
I am confident this book will contribute immensely to this endeavor. 7/7 us.macmillan.com/books/978125...
25.02.2026 15:39 — 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0We must therefore insist on generating a body of rigorous causal research on what works (and what doesn't), figuring out how that overlays on to the existing system, and then conveying that knowledge to policymakers in an effort to align policies with this research. 6/7
25.02.2026 15:39 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0The stakes in criminal justice policy could not be higher - lives and liberties are at stake. 5/7
25.02.2026 15:39 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
As someone who did science projects in elementary school where I tested a hypothesis by comparing two groups of laboratory mice where one group received an intervention and one did not, I contrast that to our political dialogue where many just assume their predispositions are reality. 4/
7
Excited to read about the evidence for approaches that can reduce offending without increasing the size & cost of the criminal justice system. In ruminating on the title, I think about that, as much as I love art, science means we test our hunches about what works (including in what contexts). 3/7
25.02.2026 15:39 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0To me it conveys that interventions designed to reduce crime can and should be rigorously tested so we maximize return on investment. Good intentions are not enough. 2/7
25.02.2026 15:39 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
Thrilled to receive my copy of "The Science of Second Chances" by economist @jenniferdoleac.bsky.social of @arnoldventures.bsky.social!
As I begin delving into this timely book, my initial thought is that the title alone is significant. 1/7
What drove the nationwide crime decline of 2025? @johnkroman.bsky.social argues that large-scale prevention investments — funded through pandemic recovery dollars — helped drive the drop and that future gains require thinking beyond policing alone.
www.vitalcitynyc.org/articles/how...
Selfie with the book!
The bomb cyclone conspired against me getting to NYC today to celebrate @jenniferdoleac.bsky.social’s book launch, but the snow didn’t disrupt the on-time delivery of my copy of The Science of Second Chances! So excited and proud of my friend 🥂
24.02.2026 22:23 — 👍 25 🔁 4 💬 1 📌 0
How have gun policies, enforcement strategies, and market dynamics shaped gun violence trends today?
Join CCJ’s Centering Justice project with experts Natasha Bagdasarian, Alan Gottlieb, @daniel-webster.bsky.social, and Rob Wilcox on March 10 to learn more: events.zoom.us/ev/AigV8lDJ3...
🧵 Read Vital City’s latest Crime Special Issue: Looking Back at 2025, and Ahead to 2026. What happened in New York City and nationally, and what may and should happen next? www.vitalcitynyc.org/issues/crime...
19.02.2026 20:39 — 👍 3 🔁 2 💬 1 📌 0
New York City made progress on public safety in 2025. Shootings and murders fell to historic lows. But it is not good news across the board. Our latest annual crime report finds a complex public safety picture in New York City.
Read: www.vitalcitynyc.org/articles/cri...
New York City made progress on public safety in 2025. Shootings and murders fell to historic lows, and most major crime categories declined compared to the year prior. These improvements reflect gains in the city’s most serious forms of violence. Via @vitalcitynyc.bsky.social
21.02.2026 18:27 — 👍 12 🔁 3 💬 0 📌 1
New York City’s gun violence and homicides are way down. But overall major crime remains high. Marcos Soler examines why the city’s crime trends diverge from national declines and what it will take to return to pre-pandemic lows. www.vitalcitynyc.org/articles/new...
23.02.2026 17:18 — 👍 4 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 1
Greg Berman: "Still, for all its limitations, I would much prefer to live in the world that @jenniferdoleac.bsky.social imagines, where evidence-based policymaking is the norm, rather than the alternative. In general, anecdotes and ideology are good for storytelling but bad for policy."
23.02.2026 18:58 — 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Get your copy here:
us.macmillan.com/books/978125...
It’s Pub Day!
My first book, The Science of Second Chances, hits shelves today. I can’t wait to hear what y’all think.
I hope it fills you with hope and optimism about what is possible in the public safety space. ✨
This effort in South Carolina aligns with Commission recommendations for alternatives to arrest and incarceration for pregnant women, particularly those who pose low public safety risk. Read the full report here: reports.counciloncj.org/wjc-report/
23.02.2026 16:38 — 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
A bipartisan bill in South Carolina, supported by Women's Justice Commission member Pamela Winn, would give judges discretion to divert pregnant women away from prisons and jails to better preserve the bond between mother and child: scdailygazette.com/2026/02/19/s...
23.02.2026 16:38 — 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0us.macmillan.com/books/978125...
23.02.2026 15:55 — 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0www.vitalcitynyc.org/articles/jen...
23.02.2026 15:55 — 👍 2 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0
I'm so grateful to Greg Berman for this lovely review of my new book, in Vital City today.
Don't have your copy yet? You can order THE SCIENCE OF SECOND CHANCES wherever you buy books - and you can find it in stores tomorrow(!!).
(Links in comments.)
