Data-driven, bipartisan public safety.
Mission
From the partnerships we cultivate, to the policies we advance, Justice Action Network (JAN) believes in a strategic, data-driven approach to changing hearts, minds, and laws for a smarter, fairer, more efficient and effective criminal justice system.
Our mission is to continually improve the justice system and public safety by helping to pass state and federal policies that empower individuals, pave the way for safer streets, and reduce bureaucracy and taxpayer costs.
History
Founded in 2015, JAN has been dedicated to bipartisan criminal justice reform at the state and federal levels. Through educating policymakers, the media, business leaders, and the public on best practices that promote fairness, accountability, and better outcomes in the criminal justice system, our mission is to continually improve the justice system and public safety by helping to pass state and federal policies that empower individuals, pave the way for safer streets, and reduce bureaucracy and taxpayer costs.
By fostering relationships and creating legislative champions on both sides of the aisle, we’ve turned national momentum and widespread public support into concrete, bipartisan criminal justice reform action. Starting in just three states and expanding each year, we have served as the backbone for over 210 policy wins in 24 states across the country, as well as several major policy victories in Congress; including the passage of the First Step Act, the Fair Chance Act, and the expansion and protection of home confinement.
Selected Results
13,000 people were released on federal home confinement, with less than a 1% recidivism rate, and as of early 2024 taxpayers are saving more than $80 million dollars on an annualized basis by keeping them home.
More than 30,000 Arizonans can legally drive to work, school, and can address their daily needs as a result of debt-based suspension reform.
Over 30,000 people were released under the First Step Act with a 37% reduction in recidivism compared to similarly situated peers.
More than 43 million records have been automatically sealed in Pennsylvania, and Clean Slate laws have continued to thrive in 11 additional states since 2018.
$694 billion in annual government contracts are more equitably available to those with irrelevant criminal records as a result of Federal Ban the Box legislation.
More than 500 Tennesseans were eligible for resentencing after a 2021 retroactive reform made changes to draconian drug-free zone laws.
Partnerships
Because criminal justice reform transcends partisanship, our network includes organizations on the far left, the far right, and at every point on the political spectrum in between, including:
