Council on Criminal Justice

To Protect, Serve, and Identify – Marc A. Levin & Khalil Cumberbatch It is possible to curb excessive masking while still protecting law enforcement.

Read the article at: lawliberty.org/to-protect-s...

Why is it important for law enforcement to identify themselves & show their faces?

A perspective from CCJ Centering Justice’s Khalil Cumberbatch & @marclevin.bsky.social in Law & Liberty explores the wider implications of ICE officers masking—and how it can fuel mistrust & undermine transparency.

What ICE’s Recklessness Teaches Us About Real Policing The illegitimate Minneapolis surge gives municipal departments an opportunity to demonstrate what legitimacy looks like.

How can police departments showcase their work to build trust?

A perspective in @vitalcitynyc.bsky.social from @brandondelpozo.bsky.social, CCJ member and former Burlington police chief, on the legitimacy of police in the context of recent ICE-related incidents: www.vitalcitynyc.org/articles/min...

How To Deploy AI To Improve Policing in New York Powerful new technology has the potential to improve the City’s justice system, but to get it right, the NYPD has to address serious risks.

How can AI improve the New York Police Department and the justice system as a whole?

A perspective from CCJ Task Force on AI member @alexchohlaswood.com in @vitalcitynyc.bsky.social explores the potential opportunities, and risks, of the new technology: www.vitalcitynyc.org/how-to-deplo...

Lightning Brief: Rafael Mangual YouTube video by Council on Criminal Justice

Watch the full video at: youtu.be/qKt0IgHTABc?...

“We must not lose sight of the benefits that are associated with meaningfully incapacitating high-rate repeat offenders.”

Manhattan Institute Fellow Rafael Mangual spoke at the 2025 CCJ Member Summit on the effects of focused policing in areas of concentrated crime.

➡️ More comprehensively consider mitigating factors, such as histories of trauma and abuse, caregiving factors, behavioral health needs, and risk profiles, when making sentencing decisions.

Read the full report here: https://reports.counciloncj.org/wjc-report/

➡️ Expand alternatives to incarceration, such as diversion programs and probation, for women whose risk can be safely managed in the community and whose personal and familial needs would be better served outside of confinement.

Specifically, the Commission recommends that courts should:

➡️ Expand the use of problem-solving courts and tailor these courts to women’s distinct circumstances.

Although some jurisdictions have moved in this direction already, these interventions vary widely and are highly localized, leaving opportunity for more comprehensive and strategic implementation.

Research shows that well-designed alternatives can address the drivers of women’s justice system involvement, reduce recidivism, and strengthen family and community stability.

Recognizing this fact, the CCJ Women’s Justice Commission recommends that courts should expand responses to and consideration of women’s distinct circumstances at charging and sentencing.

These experiences do not override the need for accountability, but they often influence the dynamics that lead women into the justice system in the first place.

Women who come into contact with the justice system are often grappling with complex circumstances that include trauma and interpersonal violence, economic insecurity, caregiving obligations, and behavioral health needs.

ICYMI: Don't forget to sign up for next week's webinar on trends in gun violence. Register at the link below ⬇️

How can lawyers and judges better decide which people need to be incarcerated and which don’t?

CCJ member and UC Irvine professor Emily Owens spoke about how greater justice system efficiency can enhance public trust. Watch the full webinar at: counciloncj.org/event-record...

To Protect, Serve, and Identify – Marc A. Levin & Khalil Cumberbatch It is possible to curb excessive masking while still protecting law enforcement.

Amid an impasse over the DHS budget, my @counciloncj.org colleague @KhaCumberbatch and I argue in Law & Liberty that masking, while occasionally necessary, shouldn't be routine, and point to police agencies that require advance documentation as to its justification. lawliberty.org/to-protect-s...

Lightning Brief: Keith Humphreys YouTube video by Council on Criminal Justice

Watch the full video at: youtu.be/QWYccmkS1eI?...

“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.

Trump claims credit for murder drop. It's not that simple. | Opinion In State of the Union, Trump claimed 'the murder rate saw its single largest decline in recorded history' ‒ and the credit. But crime isn't that tidy.

Opinion: In State of the Union, Trump claimed 'the murder rate saw its single largest decline in recorded history' ‒ and the credit. But crime isn't that tidy.

Advancing Women's Justice: What We Should Know, But Don't - Council on Criminal Justice This research agenda calls for targeted investment in high-quality data and research to fill major gaps in knowledge and better inform policies that improve outcomes for women, families, and communiti...

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...

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...

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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

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...

Crime Trends in U.S. Cities: Year-End 2025 Update - Council on Criminal Justice With homicide down 21%, the 2025 homicide rate may reach the lowest level ever recorded in law enforcement or public health data going back to 1900, CCJ’s year-end analysis finds.

Read the full report: counciloncj.org/crime-trends...

More context from PolitiFact: www.politifact.com/factchecks/2...

If that holds, it would be the lowest rate ever recorded in law enforcement or public health data going back to 1900, and the largest single-year percentage drop on record.

CCJ’s latest report finds that when nationwide data for jurisdictions of all sizes is released by the FBI later this year, the 2025 homicide rate is likely to fall to about 4.0 per 100,000 residents.

In his State of the Union, Donald Trump said murder is at its lowest level since 1900. Is that true? Probably. ⬇️

#SOTU #SOTU2026

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...