Media Contact
The Safety and Justice Challenge has a number of trusted national and local issue experts available to provide analysis and expertise on criminal justice reform and related issues.
If you are a member of the press working on a story regarding criminal justice reform, please contact: Maria Speiser, mspeiser@macfound.org.
Publication & Resources
The Safety and Justice Challenge supports the collection of data and the production of robust research and analysis on local criminal justice reform and related issues.
About the Safety and Justice Challenge
The Safety and Justice Challenge is reimagining and rebuilding local criminal justice systems to be more fair, just, and equitable for all.
Safety and Justice Challenge In the News
The Safety and Justice Challenge’s participating cities, counties, and states are working to change the way America thinks about and uses jails.
Social Media Toolkit
To lift up the work of the Safety and Justice Challenge and the issue of criminal justice reform on your social media channels, please check out our toolkit which includes social media post text, graphics, and videos that you can share on your own channels.
Available Experts & Research
The Safety and Justice Challenge Network has a number of trusted criminal justice reform issue experts and researchers available to speak with the media. This includes:
- The MacArthur Foundation’s Safety and Justice Challenge team
- Partners and Allies who are experts in specific elements of criminal justice reform—ranging from mental health to racial equity.
- Criminal justice reform experts, system actors, and people with lived experiences from the cities, counties, and states engaged in the Safety and Justice Challenge.
Key Statistics
The Safety and Justice Challenge has the latest on-the-ground data and research on America’s problem with jails as well as real, evidence-based solutions that can help reduce the number of people in jail and eliminate racial disparities.
Safety and Justice Challenge Statements
New Initiative to Break Link Between Housing Instability and Incarceration
May 18, 2022
MacArthur provided $3.6 million in grants to communities in the Safety and Justice Challenge to further reduce reliance on jails and eliminate inequities.
Growing and Sustaining Progress in Five Counties
February 16, 2022
MacArthur provided $3.6 million in grants to communities in the Safety and Justice Challenge to further reduce reliance on jails and eliminate inequities.
Deepening Efforts to Eliminate Racial and Ethnic Inequities in Justice System
January 19, 2022
The Safety and Justice Challenge (SJC) is deepening its efforts to create new models for how cities and counties can eliminate racial and ethnic inequities in their local criminal justice system. A cohort of four counties and cities already participating in the SJC will join with local community partners to focus on racial and ethnic equity in the criminal justice system by centering lived experiences of Black, Indigenous, and Latinx people, and other people of color, and authentically engaging the community. The four projects will receive a total of $2 million in funding.