As you know, over the last several months, research has become an increasingly bigger focus of the Safety and Justice Challenge. We are now at a point in the initiative in which it is critical to explore, understand, and document successes and challenges, and in particular to share with the broader field what we've learned about how to effectively and safely reduce jail populations and racial and ethnic disparities. To advance this work, the Foundation asked the CUNY Institute for State and Local Governance (ISLG) to establish and oversee a SJC Research Consortium, which launched last summer. The Foundation also continues to directly support research on these issues. Many of the projects that are supported will draw on the data that sites submit to ISLG.
All of this work is relevant to SJC sites and partners, as it will provide insights that can be used to inform and enhance reform work on the ground. With that in mind, we will be sharing quarterly updates about current and upcoming research projects through SJC Exchange. The updates are intended to keep network members apprised of the work that is happening, and for SJC sites in particular, it is an opportunity to learn about new opportunities to partner with researchers on projects that are of interest. In this first quarterly update we are pleased to announce three new projects that have started or will be starting early this year. All of these projects have been through a rigorous review process with our Research Review Committee.
The first study, which is directly funded by the Foundation, is being carried out by Nancy Rodriguez at the University of California Irvine School of Social Ecology (UCI) and focuses on the representation and experiences of the LatinX population in the criminal justice system in SJC sites. Specifically, this project, titled "Data Availability, Language Access, and Immigration Policy: A Review of Latinos/as within the SJC," is comprised of three main components that will unfold over a two-year timeframe. First, the UCI team will conduct an analysis of data from SJC sites to understand both how the LatinX population is captured in criminal justice information systems and how they are represented at different points in the system. To do this, they will draw on data capacity assessments produced by ISLG in the planning stage of the initiative, and aggregate and case-level data from sites. Second, they will explore language access programming across sites through interviews and surveys. Third, they will develop an inventory of state and local immigration policies that affect SJC sites and explore how those policies may be impacting the contact and presence of the LatinX population in local justice systems. This research will be incredibly important to the field, not only because the experiences of the LatinX population in the criminal justice system is understudied; but also because we don't even know how accurately the system is identifying people of LatinX ethnicity. Beyond that though, it comes at a point in which we are intensifying our SJC work on racial and ethnic disparities, which means that it will provide critical information and analysis for sites as you develop your plans over time. ISLG site leads will follow up with sites in the coming weeks to let them know what they can expect as this work unfolds.
Our first Research Consortium project is also kicking off this month. The project, which was awarded to the Center for Court Innovation (CCI), is a one-year study of racial and ethnic disparities in four SJC sites-Lucas County, New York City, Pima County, and St. Louis County-with two specific phases of work. In the first phase, CCI will conduct an analysis at the site-level, exploring how jail population trends and disparity trends are related, and various factors that may drive or explain disparities. The second phase, in turn, will be a closer investigation of the impacts of specific strategies on disparities and other outcomes. Of particular focus will be Population Review Teams (PRTs).
Finally, last week we released a second project to the Research Consortium on arrest diversion/deflection programs. The goal of the project is to help move the field toward a more nuanced understanding of the range of program models that exist at this decision point, specifically by exploring both the models that are being employed across SJC sites and their outcomes. Consortium member applicants are asked to explore diversion programs in one to three sites over an 18-month project period. They will be reaching out to sites individually to explore partnerships; sites can feel free to reach out to Consortium members as well if they are interested in being involved.
ISLG will be sharing research reports and other products from these projects with the Network as they emerge. If you have any questions or would like to learn more about any of the work, you can contact Jennifer Ferone (Jennifer.Ferone@islg.cuny.edu) or Reagan Daly (Reagan.Daly@islg.cuny.edu) at ISLG. ------------------------------
Laurie Garduque
Director, Justice Reform
MacArthur Foundation
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