About Us

The Council of State Governments Justice Center is a national, nonprofit organization that serves policymakers at the local, state, and federal levels from all branches of government. Staff provides practical, nonpartisan advice and consensus-driven strategies - informed by available evidence - to increase public safety and strengthen communities.

The Center serves all states to promote effective, data-driven practices - particularly in areas in which the criminal justice system intersects with other disciplines, such as public health - to provide practical solutions to public safety and cross-systems problems. The Justice Center builds on the solid foundation of work that staff have conducted on the responses to justice-involved people with mental illnesses and crime victims, as well as such issues as prisoner re-entry and justice reinvestment. It’s a data-driven approach to reduce corrections spending and reinvest savings in strategies that can decrease crime and strengthen neighborhoods.