The justice system underwent transformative reforms in 2024, shifting towards a more equitable approach. These changes prioritize community well-being and focus on innovative strategies that address the root causes of criminal behavior and support an effective and balanced use of both incentives and punishment.
#1 - Restorative Justice Programs
Restorative justice programs are being expanded significantly in 2024, marking a much-needed shift in the justice system toward approaches emphasizing healing, accountability, and community involvement.
Restorative justice initiatives like community conferencing bring together those affected by an offense (both victims and youth) alongside community members to address harm and promote understanding collaboratively. This participatory process, now increasingly adopted in schools, allows young people to engage in restorative justice practices as an alternative to punitive disciplinary measures, which redirects them from the traditional justice system.
Unlike conventional punitive models, restorative justice encourages a person with justice system involvement to take responsibility in a way that benefits both the individuals involved and the wider community. By fostering open dialogue and mutual accountability, these programs aim to reduce reoffending rates and improve long-term outcomes for participants.
Carey Group plays a pivotal role in helping agencies implement restorative justice programs. Through expertise in organizational development, Carey Group guides agencies in building robust frameworks that support community-centric justice reform that aligns with each organization's unique culture and objectives.
With the integration of these restorative justice programs, the justice system is gradually transforming into one that prioritizes healing and community collaboration over punishment.
#2 – Bail Reform Policies
In 2024, the criminal justice system also underwent a major transformation in bail reform policies, with a significant shift from cash bail to risk-based assessments. This reform prioritizes individual risk over financial status, reducing jail populations and addressing socioeconomic disparities that have traditionally impacted marginalized communities disproportionately.
For example, in Michigan, lawmakers are considering legislation that would require judges to consider the person's ability to pay when setting cash bail requirements, limiting its use to cases involving serious crimes where the person poses a significant risk. The city of Detroit has already seen success with similar pretrial bail reforms implemented under an ACLU settlement, demonstrating how these changes can create a more equitable system while maintaining public safety.
However, risk assessments are not without challenges. While these tools may include some factors based on historical data that contain societal biases, they still reduce the likelihood of implicit bias impacting outcomes compared to when staff make decisions without an assessment tool. Continual evaluation of these assessment models remains essential to maintain public safety and fairness.
Additionally, alternative pretrial release models, such as monitored release and community-based support services, provide structured support without financial conditions, promote socioeconomic equity, and help individuals maintain their employment, family, and community stability during pretrial periods.
Carey Group plays a key role in advancing a more equitable, evidence-driven criminal justice system by guiding agencies in implementing risk-based assessments that mitigate bias.
#3 – Evidence-Based Policing
Evidence-based policing, a foundation for a modern criminal justice system, leverages data to guide effective, resource-efficient policing strategies. Evidence-based policing enables law enforcement to make informed decisions that improve public safety and reduce crime rates. By analyzing data trends, police departments can identify areas with higher crime risks, enabling a targeted approach that best uses available resources.
One prominent application within evidence-based policing is predictive analytics, which uses historical data to anticipate crime hotspots and allocate patrols accordingly. This data-driven approach allows for proactive responses that enhance the efficiency of the criminal justice system while fostering community trust by deploying officers where they are most needed. However, these strategies require ongoing assessment and adjustments based on emerging evidence to achieve meaningful outcomes.
Carey Group's evidence-based training and consulting services equip agencies with the skills to implement evidence-based practices, ensuring that police departments align their strategies with proven methodologies. By focusing on outcome-driven tactics and regular performance evaluations, evidence-based policing can modernize operations while strengthening the overall integrity of the criminal justice system.
#4 - Community-Oriented Policing
Community-oriented policing is an increasingly vital component of the criminal justice system. It is focused on building trust between law enforcement and the communities it serves. Through neighborhood policing teams and youth engagement programs, this approach aims to create lasting connections, reduce tensions, and prevent crime through proactive community engagement.
Critical advancements in this area include integrating social workers into police response units, allowing a more nuanced approach in cases that should involve social or mental health intervention. Social workers offer specialized support that addresses underlying social issues, aiming to prevent recurring justice system involvement. However, these efforts face challenges in culturally diverse communities, where officers and social workers must carefully navigate varying community norms and expectations.
This training equips officers with the tools to engage effectively with the public and collaborate with social service professionals, ultimately enhancing the impact and acceptance of community-oriented policing within the broader criminal justice system.
Beyond immediate program implementation, sustained impact requires robust community reinvestment, as research from the Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition highlights. Their findings advocate redirecting resources to empower communities through social services and local initiatives, providing the foundations for long-term safety and resilience. This approach aligns with additional recommendations from the Center for American Progress, emphasizing that funding should shift towards resources like mental health services, affordable housing, and education rather than solely expanding policing.
Furthermore, research from the Urban Institute underscores how targeted investments in community-based programs and services directly address local needs and become a collaborative force for sustainable, community-driven change.
#5 - Mental Health Interventions in Criminal and Juvenile Cases
The justice system is increasingly emphasizing mental health interventions, shifting from punitive approaches to strategies that offer appropriate care for individuals with mental illness. Specialized crisis intervention training for law enforcement has been essential in helping officers manage situations involving mental health crises, aiming to reduce escalation and create safer outcomes. However, traditional policing alone remains insufficient for addressing the needs of those experiencing mental health crises.
Programs like Eugene, Oregon's CAHOOTS (Crisis Assistance Helping Out on the Streets) model offer an alternative by dispatching trained medical and crisis workers instead of police to respond to crisis calls. Alternative response systems like this inspired similar programs nationwide, including Atlanta's PAD, Chicago's CARE, Denver's STAR, and Durham's HEART. All of these programs divert people with mental health needs away from the criminal justice system and toward the care they require. These initiatives address underlying needs that often contribute to recidivism reduction.
However, implementing these programs can be challenging, especially in resource-limited areas with limited funding and mental health interventions. As the demand grows for humane, community-centered responses to mental health crises, quality assurance, and improvement services remain vital for sustaining these impactful reforms and achieving meaningful recidivism reduction in the criminal justice system.
#6 - Equity in Sentencing
Efforts to enhance equity in sentencing within the justice system are increasingly focused on structured guidelines, implicit bias training, and the selective use of AI-based tools.
As part of broader reform, sentencing guidelines are being reevaluated to set transparent, equitable standards that reduce disparities and create a more just foundation for sentencing decisions. Implicit bias training has become a key strategy to address unconscious biases that can skew judicial outcomes. While training effectiveness varies, studies from sources like the Federal Judicial Center indicate that these programs can help raise awareness of biases and promote fairer practices.
The Duke Judicature underscores the importance of structured approaches such as evidence-based workshops, interactive scenario training, and regular assessments to achieve real improvements. These methods encourage judges to recognize and actively counteract their biases by applying standardized, objective criteria during sentencing, which fosters a more impartial criminal justice system.
The adoption of AI in sentencing has generated significant debate, with some advocates pointing to its potential for increasing consistency and reducing human error. A Thomson Reuters analysis notes that AI applications could promote objectivity by standardizing sentencing practices.
Yet, caution remains essential: a recent study from Tulane University highlighted both the promise and pitfalls of AI tools. Although the study found that AI reduced sentences for a person who is low-risk, it also revealed persistent racial biases, underscoring that AI, if not carefully managed, can compromise sensitive personal information and confidentiality while also replicating and even amplifying existing inequities in the criminal justice system.
The Turing Institute expands on these concerns, emphasizing that AI's effectiveness depends on the quality of data and the continuous oversight of its applications. Because of these challenges, some jurisdictions have chosen to limit or forego AI-based sentencing. Others have cautiously integrated AI models, relying on rigorous quality assurance measures to monitor for biases and ensure alignment with equitable goals.
Supporting Lasting Change in the Criminal Justice System
From expanding restorative justice programs and shifting to risk-based bail assessments to implementing evidence-based policing and prioritizing mental health interventions, these changes to the criminal and juvenile justice systems reflect a commitment to a more equitable, community-centered approach. These initiatives seek to address systemic disparities, apply data-driven insights, and adopt more humane practices that can support long-term recidivism reduction and community well-being. Carey Group champions these advancements by providing critical guidance, training, and resources for justice agencies.
Together, we can continue driving meaningful change that upholds the values of equity, safety, and compassion in every community. Each step forward strengthens the criminal justice system's potential to serve society more justly and responsibly.
Carey Group’s evidence-based online training and consulting services address the needs of the justice system and behavioral health professionals. Training is an essential tool for keeping staff, supervisors, leadership, and stakeholders up to date with emerging knowledge and expectations for improved outcomes. Working closely with Carey Group professionals, agencies are better able to offer a mixture of in-person, online, and self-directed courses on evidence-based practices, motivational interviewing, core professional competencies, case planning and management, continuous quality improvement, coaching, and the use of behavior-change tools and supervisor resources. Talk to a Carey Group consultant today to get started!