Director’s message

In January 1971, a remarkable event occurred that permanently altered conventional assumptions about justice administration and reform. Jerome G. Miller, then commissioner of youth corrections in Massachusetts and later CJCJ founder, carried out the most sweeping revolutionary reforms in American criminal justice history up to that time. By closing the state’s five juvenile penitentiaries (euphemistically called reform schools) and transferring over 1,000 youths to an assortment of community-based programs, Miller upended over a century of conventional practice and redefined what constituted corrections reform.

These actions, which were at first greeted with skepticism and disdain by much of the criminal justice world, proved to be revolutionary in changing popular assumptions about the possibility of closing correctional institutions and substantially reducing imprisonment. Research by Harvard University revealed that when not subjected to abusive prison-like conditions, young people were less likely to exhibit violent and criminally-prone behaviors later on. Most importantly, well-designed and properly implemented rehabilitation programs substantially reduced recidivism among even the most challenging individuals with justice system involvement.

The Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice (CJCJ) was formally established in 1986 to promote a more humane and just criminal justice system and to carry on Miller’s legacy of reducing imprisonment. Without a focus on social reintegration, current criminal justice policies founder on the mistaken premise that criminal behavior is reduced by the harsh conditions of modern correctional institutions. By failing to address the root causes of crime, criminal justice policies that rely on incarceration exacerbate public safety risks. As states and jurisdictions throughout the United States are now recognizing the importance of replacing retributive practices with a more balanced array of supportive interventions, CJCJ stands ready to assist those seeking to implement new policies that reflect a 21^st century approach.

Since our founding nearly four decades ago, CJCJ has been at the forefront of some of the most important justice reforms efforts in America – from Hawaii to the District of Columbia. In California, CJCJ led a 35-year battle to close the state’s archaic and violent youth corrections system. Working with various state and community partners and legal advocates, CJCJ brought ongoing media attention to the plight of youth confined in these facilities and led a campaign that helped convince Governor Newsom to finally close the last three institutions. The closure of the California state-run youth prisons brings an end to an ugly chapter in state history and ushers in a new era of localized youth justice and community investment. It stands as one of CJCJ’s proudest moments. 

Our California work in the adult system is centered on reversing sentencing practices that resulted in the period of mass incarceration and its inherent racial and geographical injustices. Our California Sentencing Institute highlights the vast disparities in sentencing practices of the state’s 58 counties. Sadly, the likelihood of a prison sentence is not determined by the crime but by the jurisdiction where the crime occurred. California is divided between high imprisonment counties and low imprisonment counties. CJCJ is working to reduce the state’s adult incarceration rate by promoting sentencing policies that eliminate racial and geographical disparities and promote greater jurisdictional uniformity.

In the past five years, by working in partnership with all major criminal justice stakeholders, including legislators, correctional administrators, district attorneys, defender advocates, community-based organizations, and civil rights groups, CJCJ has performed a vital role in helping forge a broad consensus on reforming California’s justice system. Although humane treatment of individuals convicted of criminal acts is not always a popular issue, it is central to CJCJ’s mission. An effective justice system is one that focuses on creating fewer victims and offers rehabilitation, rather than punishment and barriers to justice and healing. After nearly four decades, CJCJ is a premier leader in justice reform. Our success is rooted in our commitment and determination to assume the most difficult challenges and not become complacent with conventional approaches. Only a more humane and sensible justice system will attain the goal of greater public safety and social justice.

Sincerely Yours,