PSY-5114 V1

Black, C. (2020). Mental health courts: Expanding the model in an era of criminal justice reform. Washington University Journal of Law & Policy, 63, 299 – 323.
Black (2020) discusses one criminal justice reform – mental health courts. They also suggest ways in which this reform can be improved upon to lead to better outcomes.

Covert, D. (2021). Transforming the progressive prosecutor movement. Wisconsin Law Review, 2021(1), 187–251.
Covert (2021) details the progressive prosecutor movement, an approach to reforming the system by electing “progressive” prosecutors. He critiques this approach, providing a scholarly rationale for why they believe it may have limited effectiveness in creating the type of reform that is needed.

Rosenberg, B. E. (2020). Indictments, grand juries, and criminal justice reform. American Journal of Criminal Law, 48(1), 81–135.
Rosenberg (2020) discusses another area in which reform may be implemented. They suggest the ways in which indictments and grand juries may be better used to lead to improved criminal justice outcomes.

Drug decriminalization, addiction, and mass incarceration: A theories of punishment framework for ending the “War on Drugs.” Northern Kentucky Law Review, 48(2), 267–308.
Scott (2021) discusses a theoretically-driven approach to reforms that address the criminalization of substance use (i.e., considering substance use a crime). They suggest that reform must move beyond simple decriminalization to more effectively reduce mass incarceration and substance use disorders.

US Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General (2019). Developing the First Step Act of 2018 risk and needs assessment system. In US Department of Justice. 4 – 24. US Department of Justice.
This report presents details regarding a specific reform to federal law aimed at reducing mass incarceration – the First Step Act of 2018. The report is beneficial in providing a real-world example of how reforms are developing and implemented.

ACLU (n.d.). Criminal law reform.
This ACLU webpage presents ideas on possible issues which justice system reform may address. Students will likely find this resource helpful in generating their own ideas regarding needed reform.

NICJR (n.d.). The National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform.
The NICJR website houses several reports and publications that outline contemporary reform efforts. Students may use this resource to continue considering ways in which reform may improve our system.

Alliance for Safety and Justice (2016). Crime survivors speak: The first-ever national survey of victims’ views on safety and justice.
The Alliance for Safety and Justice (2016) issued a report detailing their survey of victim’s view of reform efforts. This report offers a glimpse into what victims believe will most effectively curb crime and protect public safety.

Office for Victims of Crimes (OVC). (n.d.). About OVC
The Office of Victims of Crimes website details the services to which victims of crime are entitled. You may use this resource in this module and future modules to generate ideas regarding reforms that may improve the system’s impact on victims.

US Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General (2019). Characteristics of an effective risk and needs assessment system. In US Department of Justice. 25 - 41. US Department of Justice.
This reading is a continuation of one of the required readings. You may choose to read this section of the report to see a full example of how legal reform is implemented at the federal level.

US Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General (2019). The First Step Act of 2018 risk and needs assessment system. In US Department of Justice. 42 – 69. US Department of Justice.
This reading is a continuation of one of the required readings. You may choose to read this section of the report to see a full example of how legal reform is implemented at the federal level.

US Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General (2019). Implementing the First Step Act of 2018 risk and needs assessment system. In US Department of Justice. 70 – 298. US Department of Justice.
This reading is a continuation of one of the required readings. You may choose to read this section of the report to see a full example of how legal reform is implemented at the federal level.