Our Work
Our Work
Justice System Partners helps justice leaders, agencies, and communities redesign the moments that matter most across the justice continuum. Together, we translate research into practice, test and scale what works, redesign systems end-to-end, and equip the workforce with the tools, skills, and technology to succeed. The result is more coordinated, equitable systems that reduce unnecessary system involvement, shorten time spent in jail, tailor responses to individual needs, and build safer, more stable communities.
Guiding Pillars
Keeping People Out of the System
Preventing unnecessary justice involvement by investing in community-based solutions, violence prevention, and early support for youth.
Getting People Out of the System Quickly
Reducing unnecessary detention through fair pretrial practices, diversion, and support-oriented court processes.
Centering People & Individualizing Services
Designing responses that recognize people as complex individuals with different needs, strengths, and pathways to success.
Caring for Staff Who Work in the System
Building leadership, skills, wellbeing, and technology that support the professionals doing this work every day.
Keeping People Out of the System
Even one day in jail can turn someone’s life upside down. That’s why we focus on keeping people out of the criminal justice system from the start—by addressing first contact with law enforcement, strengthening community alternatives, and challenging practices that pull people into the system’s revolving door.
Alternatives to Arrest & Jail
We help communities replace arrest with care—connecting people to support instead of jail.
Violence Prevention in the Community
We help communities reduce violence by investing in prevention, and solutions rooted in systemic issues and community strengths.
Supporting Youth
We help systems respond to young people with opportunity, guidance, and pathways to long-term success.
Getting People Out of the System Quickly
The longer individuals remain in pretrial detention, the more likely they are to experience a conviction, a lengthy sentence, and incarceration. We work to change these outcomes by helping organizations helping organizations make faster release decisions, improve pretrial processes, and reduce opportunities for people return to jail during pretrial.
Improving Fairness at Initial Appearance
We help courts make fairer first decisions by providing better information, greater consistency, and more equitable access to courts.
Equitable Pretrial Assessment Tools
We help courts separate risk from need—so people aren't jailed for solvable barriers.
Diversion by Design: Prosecutors in Action
We help prosecutors use early discretion to redirect cases toward community-based solutions.
Creating a Support-Oriented Court System
We redesign courts to remove barriers, reduce jail churn, and help people succeed.
Mapping Compounding Disparities in Pretrial
We help jurisdictions identify and address disparities that accumulate across the pretrial process.
Centering People & Individualizing Services
People involved in the criminal justice system are complex and have unique experiences, needs, and treatment preferences. However, the system typically responds with a one-size-fits-all approach. We help agencies tailor services and create personalized care that recognizes individuals' strengths, promoting long-lasting behavior change.
A Fair Path for Emerging Adults
We help systems respond to emerging adults with developmentally informed design—not adult punishment.
Coach referee Model for Change
We help agencies shift from rule enforcement to coaching, empowering people to build skills, achieve goals, and thrive.
Rethinking Probation Conditions and Revocations
We help agencies focus probation on success, reducing unnecessary conditions and preventable returns to custody.
Equitable Custody and Supervision Assessments
We promote and create innovative assessment tools responsibly, improving fairness and reducing bias in decision-making.
Expanding Access to Opioid Use Disorder Care
We help systems connect people to evidence-based treatment and recovery support, improving health outcomes and reducing unnecessary justice system involvement.
Enhancing Economic Mobility
We help people access greater stability and opportunity by removing justice system barriers to employment and economic mobility.
Technology for Good
We design people-centered technology that supports better decisions, stronger relationships, and staff wellbeing.
Testing & Scaling What Works
We move justice systems beyond untested tradition toward interventions that actually work.
Systems Transformation
We transform justice systems end-to-end, not program by program.
Translating Research into Practice
We turn evidence into action, helping agencies apply research in ways that improve real-world outcomes.
Caring for Staff Who Work in the System
The criminal justice system can harm working professionals through consistent occupational stress and exposure to trauma. Reducing the impact of the criminal justice system requires considering how the system harms staff, too. We help agencies create programs and trainings that enhance staff skills and promote workplace well-being.
Coach referee Model for Change
We help agencies shift from rule enforcement to coaching, empowering people to build skills, achieve goals, and thrive.
Leadership for Lasting Change
We help leaders navigate complex change by building the capacity, culture, and partnerships needed for lasting impact.
Building Professional Practice for Justice Staff
We strengthen staff skills, decision-making, and professional growth to improve outcomes across the system.
Improving Staff Wellbeing with Technology
We use people-centered technology to reduce burnout, improve practice, and create better outcomes for staff and communities alike.