Research Report
Collaboration Community Engagement Crime Incarceration Trends November 12, 2025
What It Takes to Change the Way America Thinks About and Uses Jails
America’s local jails hold over 660,000 people daily, with over 7.6 million cycling through annually.1
Transforming these complex systems requires coordination and collaboration across traditionally adversarial stakeholders including sheriffs, police departments, judges, prosecutors, defenders, government administrators, behavioral health and health care providers, community organizations, and advocates.
While many publications document effective interventions, less attention has been paid to the leadership and infrastructure necessary to implement and sustain these transformations.
This report examines key leadership approaches to implementing and sustaining criminal justice system improvements, specifically focusing on safely reducing jail populations through the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s Safety and Justice Challenge (SJC).
1Statistical tables retrieved from the Bureau of Justice Statistics Jail Inmates in 2023. [Retrieved Here]
