As we close out our 10th year, Justice Action Network is proud to reflect on a year of extraordinary impact. Below is a snapshot of what we accomplished, by the numbers.

In 2025, ten pieces of JAN-supported legislation were signed into law across three states. These bills cover five issue areas–corrections reform, community supervision reform, fines and fees reform, sentencing modernization, and re-entry reform–and include four bills that received unanimous support in both chambers! The reforms passed in these states represent significant system-level change.

As 2025 comes to an end, we’re reflecting on all of the progress we’ve seen over the last 10 years since Justice Action Network was founded. We sat down with our Executive Director, Lauren Krisai, to hear her thoughts on how the organization and policy work has evolved over the last 10 years, and what we hope to see over the next decade.

Dear Friends,

Last week, Justice Action Network Foundation (JANF) hosted its fourth State Lawmaker Convening on Smart Justice Policies in Scottsdale, Arizona.

This closed-door, bipartisan gathering brought together 30 top state lawmakers who are leaders on smart justice reforms in their states. Lawmakers in attendance represent a cross-section of the country in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Minnesota, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Utah.

There is some encouraging news to share: newly released FBI data on crime in the United States in 2024 shows a sweeping decline in crime across the country, with every majorcategory—both violent and property crime—experiencing drops to levels not seen since the 1960s.

This year, JAN + JANF focused our resources in states where we have the strongest relationships and where we believe have the biggest opportunities for reform in 2025: Arizona, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.

We’re thrilled to report that our focused advocacy approach paid off: NINE JAN-supported bills were signed into law!

This month we’re recognizing the critical role employment plays in empowering individuals on their path to success, and building economically resilient communities. At JAN + JANF, we believe robust workforce development must include everyone, including people who are ready to earn their second chance.

Yesterday, Governor Kevin Stitt and Oklahoma reaffirmed the state’s role as a national leader in modernizing its justice system with the ceremonial signing of House Bills 1460 and 1462. This marks the continuation of building a smarter justice system that prioritizes real accountability, smarter re-entry, and justice for everyone.

Justice Action Network (JAN) celebrates the passage of Arizona Senate Bill 1507 that creates an Independent Correctional Oversight Office tasked with providing nonpartisan, independent oversight of the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry (ADCRR).

Justice Action Network applauds the Oklahoma Legislature for the passage of House Bill 1460 and House Bill 1462: commonsense reforms that prioritize public safety, successful financial re-entry, and fairness and justice for crime survivors.

Today, Justice Action Network (JAN) applauds the New Mexico Legislature for passing Senate Bill 375, legislation that makes significant improvements to the state’s parole and probation systems. The bill passed both chambers with strong, bipartisan votes.

President Joe Biden announced today that he will commute the sentences of nearly 2,500 individuals serving time for non-violent drug offenses. These individuals were sentenced to decades in prison under disparity in the law that has since been reduced by the passage of the Fair Sentencing Act in 2010 and federal First Step Act in 2018. 

In the early hours of this morning, the Ohio Legislature passed House Bill 315. The bill contains language that requires corrections agencies to equip incarcerated adults and youth with crucial identification documentation that will help them find employment and stable housing as they transition back into their communities.

The Ohio Legislature yesterday overwhelmingly voted to pass House Bill 29, a bipartisan initiative to eliminate barriers to Ohioans by reforming the state’s driver’s license suspension policies. The bill removes the ability to suspend driver’s licenses for failure to pay fines and fees for minor traffic infractions while maintaining enforcement mechanisms for fine and fee payment. It also retroactively reinstates licenses suspended for these debt-related reasons, which could have a hugely positive impact for Ohio’s workforce.

Justice Action Network (JAN), a national bipartisan organization dedicated to improving our criminal justice system and public safety outcomes at the state and federal levels, today praised President Joe Biden for commuting the sentences of nearly 1,500 individuals, marking the largest single-day act of clemency in modern presidential history. This historic action primarily benefits individuals who were placed on home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic under the federal CARES Act and have demonstrated successful reintegration into their communities.

An analysis by The Appeal this week found that as many as 28,000 people were incarcerated in jails in mandatory flood zones leading up to Hurricane Milton's landfall, with many of those facilities refusing to evacuate. Just last week, 2,190 people were evacuated from five North Carolina prisons following Hurricane Helene. The evacuations came amid reports that people incarcerated at the facilities were locked in their cells with standing water and feces for days as a result of electrical and water service disruptions following the storm.

Justice Action Network (JAN) Executive Director Lauren Krisai today joined Minnesota State Auditor Julie Blaha, a bipartisan pairing of lawmakers, and a representative from the Minnesota County Attorney’s Association for a press conference at the State Capitol to unveil a report detailing how bipartisan reform legislation enacted in 2021 has driven a significant reduction in civil asset forfeiture cases in Minnesota. JAN played a key role in the drafting and passage of the 2021 compromise legislation. 

The FBI's 2023 report shows a 11.6% drop in murder rates, marking the largest one-year decline ever recorded, with over 2,500 fewer victims compared to 2022. Additionally, the violent crime rate has dipped to its lowest levels since the early 1970s, with 363.8 offenses per 100,000 people, showcasing a significant decline from the peaks of the 1990's. While property crime remains stable overall, an ongoing trend in auto theft highlights ongoing opportunities for reform that addresses crime with data in mind.

It’s been one year since the passage of historic pretrial reform in Illinois, and since then, the state has shown that reform can be effective without compromising safety or court compliance. Illinois’ groundbreaking Pretrial Fairness Act slashed jail populations by 14% in Cook County (Chicago) and up to 25% in rural areas, marking a seismic shift in the state’s criminal justice system. The elimination of cash bail saved $6.7 million in avoided bond costs, while failure-to-appear rates and crime levels have held steady, dispelling fears of public safety risks.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics released its annual National Crime Victimization Survey yesterday, which estimates violent crime victimizations and rates, and violent crimes reported and not reported to police. According to the survey, violent crime declined slightly in 2023. On his substack today, Jeff Asher delves deeper into the report.

This week

The Atlantic