by BU Libraries
Last Updated Jun 22, 2023
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Policy Centers, Nonprofit Organizations Professional Organizations, & Government Agencies
Policy Centers & Nonprofit Organizations
Public Safety Performance Project, The Pew Charitable TrustsAmerica's prison population skyrocketed over the past few decades, largely as a result of state laws and policies that placed more people behind bars and kept them there longer. But proven strategies are available that offer a better public safety return on taxpayer dollars. Pew works with states to advance data-driven, fiscally sound policies and practices in the criminal and juvenile justice systems that protect public safety, ensure accountability, and control corrections costs.
Prison Policy InitiativeThe non-profit, non-partisan Prison Policy Initiative produces cutting edge research to expose the broader harm of mass criminalization, and then sparks advocacy campaigns to create a more just society.
The Sentencing ProjectFounded in 1986, The Sentencing Project works for a fair and effective U.S. criminal justice system by promoting reforms in sentencing policy, addressing unjust racial disparities and practices, and advocating for alternatives to incarceration.
Urban Institute Crime and JusticeThe Urban Institute helps identify solutions for neighborhoods, cities, states, and national criminal justice systems. We analyze crime trends and evaluate prevention initiatives. A core component of our work is studying how to protect vulnerable people and communities from violence and abuse. And we take a close look at new and emerging criminal justice technologies. Our work combines quantitative and qualitative methods to provide objective data grounded in the experiences of victims, offenders, and practitioners.
National PREA Resource CenterThe PRC’s aim is to provide assistance to those responsible for state and local adult prisons and jails, juvenile facilities, community corrections, lockups, tribal organizations, and inmates and their families in their efforts to eliminate sexual abuse in confinement. The PRC serves as a central repository for the best research in the field on trends, prevention, and response strategies, and best practices in corrections.
Vera Institute of JusticeWe work with others who share our vision to tackle the most pressing injustices of our day—from the causes and consequences of mass incarceration, racial disparities, and the loss of public trust in law enforcement, to the unmet needs of the vulnerable, the marginalized, and those harmed by crime and violence.
RAND Justice Policy ProgramWith broad cross-disciplinary expertise, the RAND Justice Policy Program addresses public safety and the performance of the civil and criminal justice system for federal and state agencies, local police departments, and the private sector. Policy and research areas include policing, law enforcement, and corrections; crime, gangs, and violence prevention; drug abuse and drug policy; administration of justice, law, courts, and governance; and occupational and transportation safety.
Government Agencies
Federal Bureau of Prisons"Our agency was established in 1930 to provide more progressive and humane care for federal inmates, to professionalize the prison service, and to ensure consistent and centralized administration of federal prisons."
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)"A component of the Office of Justice Programs within the U.S. Department of Justice, OJJDP works to prevent juvenile delinquency, improve the juvenile justice system, and protect children."
National Institute of JusticeNIJ — the research, development and evaluation agency of the U.S. Department of Justice — is dedicated to improving knowledge and understanding of crime and justice issues through science. NIJ provides objective and independent knowledge and tools to inform the decision-making of the criminal justice community to reduce crime and advance justice, particularly at the state and local levels.
United States Sentencing Commission (USSC)The U.S. Sentencing Commission is an independent agency in the judicial branch of government created by the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984. Congress enacted the SRA in response to widespread disparity in federal sentencing, ushering in a new era of federal sentencing through the creation of the Commission and the promulgation of federal sentencing guidelines.
Professional Organizations
American Correctional Association (ACA)For more than 149 years, the American Correctional Association has championed the cause of corrections and correctional effectiveness. Founded in 1870 as the National Prison Association, ACA is the oldest association developed specifically for practitioners in the correctional profession.
National Commission on Correctional Health CareThe mission of the National Commission on Correctional Health Care is to improve the quality of health care in jails, prisons and juvenile confinement facilities. NCCHC establishes standards for health services in correctional facilities, operates a voluntary accreditation program for institutions that meet those standards, produces resource publications, conducts educational conferences and offers certification for correctional health professionals.
Featured Report
Racial Disparities in the Massachusetts Criminal System (Harvard Law School)This report explores the factors that lead to persistent racial disparities in the Massachusetts criminal system by leveraging detailed administrative data from several agencies, including the Massachusetts Trial Court, the Department of Criminal Justice Information Services, and the Department of Correction. These data provide a useful, if incomplete, window into several different stages of the criminal system from charging and bail to adjudication and sentencing.