Just Policy Blog will bring you our perspective on criminal and juvenile justice reform. From concise synthesis of our own reports, briefs and factsheets, to highlights of under-the-radar news stories, to original ideas and musings about justice-related issues from our own staff, interns and board members as well as others working in the field, Just Policy Blog will run the gamut of issues related to incarceration and policies that are driving incarceration and justice system involvement.
For those who need an introduction to JPI, our mission is to “reduce the use of incarceration and the justice system, and promote policies that improve the well-being of all people and communities.” How do we do this? Here’s a blurb from the About page of our website:
JPI is a national nonprofit organization that changes the conversation around justice reform and advances policies that promote well-being and justice for all people and communities. Our research and analyses identify effective programs and policies and we disseminate our findings to the media, policymakers and advocates, and provide training and technical assistance supports to people working for justice reform.Here’s what else you might like to know about JPI:
Our work is person-focused. The bottom line for us is how current social and justice policies affect people and their communities. We believe that we cannot create solutions without the involvement of those most impacted by the justice system, including people currently incarcerated, who have re-entered the community from prison, and those who are themselves victims.
Our work is data driven. In order to craft effective policy arguments, we need accurate and understandable data and statistics. At a time when nearly 2.4 million people are incarcerated in this country, at a cost of over $68 billion per year, it is vital that policymakers and engaged advocates have the facts in their arsenal.
Our work is to get the word out. For our research to have an impact, we must communicate it through reporters, bloggers, and concerned advocates and people across the country. Having the right idea or the right data is only useful if people use it to create change. JPI strives to be the microphone for what will make us safer, reduces racial and ethnic disparities in justice involvement, improves community well-being and saves money.
The mantra around our office about the criminal justice system is: “It costs too much; it doesn’t work; it isn’t fair.” Whether it’s taxpayer dollars going to private companies whose bottom line depends on the number of people they incarcerate, failed policies that don’t improve public safety or the misallocated resources that cripple families and destabilize communities, JPI will be there to inform the conversation and call for smarter policies that are better for all of us.
And with that, welcome to Just Policy Blog! I hope you will visit regularly, comment often and join us in our effort to create a more just society.
No comments:
Post a Comment