Episode One
> Edited by Joanna Abaroa-Ellison
Welcome to the first edition of Arnold Ventures' new criminal justice newsletter! Each month you will receive regular research, policy, and advocacy updates curated by a different member of our criminal justice team. This may include requests for proposals (RFPs), news, grant announcements, job opportunities, newly released research, upcoming events, and other items of interest.
Thanks for subscribing and please share this signup link with anyone else who might be interested!
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Data to Reduce Incarceration and Make Communities Safer
Arnold Ventures is excited to announce a new partnership with Recidiviz, a non-profit that works with state criminal justice agencies to improve data use and "build technology that reduces the number of people in prison, increases community re-entry success, and overall makes communities safer."
Recidiviz has built partnerships with 16 states – representing 40% of the U.S. prison population – to modernize their corrections data and support transformation of outcomes at scale. With around $14 million in new support from AV, the organization plans to significantly expand their work by launching 25 new tools aimed to help streamline implementation of existing and/or recently passed evidence-based policies in up to 15 new states.
Specifically, Recidiviz will build new tools to implement a wider range of evidence-based policies, including earned and good time credits, parole eligibility, and reducing technical revocations due to fines and fees. For example, by automating the process of matching people to programs, such as those that help people get ready for parole hearings or provide reentry opportunities, Recidiviz can help Departments of Corrections streamline the process of releasing qualified people from prison. In turn, this allows those departments to target their resources towards individuals with the highest needs and can reduce costs for the public.
Building a BRIDGE by Convening Great Minds
Over the past several months, Arnold Ventures' criminal justice research team has been hosting a series of convenings called BRIDGE (Building Research Ideas and Generating Evidence) Days. These small group gatherings foster dialogue and collaborative partnerships between researchers and practitioners.
In early February, we held a BRIDGE Day on increasing reporting for sexual assault. Sexual assault remains one of the most under-reported crimes and nationwide there is a backlog of 200,000 untested rape kits. This allows repeat offenders to go undetected, undermines justice for survivors, and highlights severe inefficiencies in our justice system. Participants at this convening explored innovative ways to increase the reporting of – and accountability for – sexual assault and drive evidence-based policy toward creating a world free from sexual violence.
AV plans to host 24 BRIDGE Days in 2025 with the primary goal of helping facilitate research partnerships and collaboration along with encouraging high-quality submissions in response to AV’s open Request for Proposals (RFP) on "Causal Research on Community Safety and the Criminal Justice System." To learn more about BRIDGE Days, please reach out to Criminal Justice Research Manager, Sergio Rodriguez Camarena at srodriguez@arnoldventures.org.
In the News
"Truth in Sentencing" laws, like the one now being considered in North Dakota, can be costly, undermine prison conditions, and are counter-productive to protecting public safety, AV's Vice President of Criminal Justice Advocacy Kevin Ring explains in a new Reason story.
The AP reports on how the prison understaffing crisis in Illinois may have led authorities to move hundreds of people with violent records to medium-security facilities. The article references new data on prison understaffing collected and published by the Safer Prisons, Safer Communities campaign.
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Add to Your Reading, Watching, or Listening List
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- NPR recently highlighted Choose to Change, a cognitive behavioral therapy program for high-risk young people. The University of Chicago Crime Lab released promising initial findings last fall from an AV-supported study showing that participants in the program were nearly 40% less likely to be arrested for a violent crime than those not involved in the program. This study adds to a growing body of evidence around CBT programs. To learn more about this research on Choose to Change, please see our recent interview with Nour Abdul-Razzak of the Crime Lab at the University of Chicago.
- Colorado Public Radio published a story describing recently-approved Proposition 130, which allocates $350 million of state funding for law enforcement agencies. The referendum directs lawmakers to provide funds for a one-million-dollar death benefit for families of officers killed during duty. It also earmarks funds for increased pay, hiring, recruitment, and retention bonuses, hiring additional officers to address specific geographic areas of types of crime, and training on the use of force, restraints, and physical fitness. This referendum is interesting because it demonstrates public interest in both more and better policing in local communities.
- Keeping up with Koufos: In the Season 6 Premiere of The Kardashians (Feb 6, 2025), Kim K takes a trip to the White House to discuss prison reform. She meets with then VP Kamala Harris and AV Consultant and former AV staffer John Koufos.
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Work with us!
We are seeking an Analyst to provide analytical and operational support that advances the objectives of Arnold Ventures' Criminal Justice portfolio. This individual will work closely with team members on substantive advocacy, communications, and external affairs projects and gain experience in supporting the development and management of high-impact philanthropic projects. The Analyst will be based in our Washington, D.C. office and report to the Vice President of Advocacy, Criminal Justice. For more information and application instructions, please click here.
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