Evidence to action in the US criminal justice system: reflections from the 2015 Harkness Fellow

Aphra Green

Across both the US and NZ governments, including in the criminal justice sector, there is a
focus on investing in what works. Translating evidence to practice is fundamental to leveraging our everexpanding data and analytics capability.

The Evidence-Based Decision-Making (EBDM) programme in the US is a good example of Federal leadership in this area. As well as seeking to equip decision-makers with the information, processes and tools that will result in measurable reductions of pre-trial misconduct and reoffending, one of its specific aims is mobilising frontline collaboration for better justice outcomes.

Other examples of national evidence-to- action criminal justice reform include the Justice Reinvestment Initiative, the Data-driven Justice Initiative, and the Safety & Justice Challenge led by the MacArthur Foundation. Aphra Green has just returned from a three-month Harkness Fellowship in the USA, where she was based in the US Federal Department of Justice, with the Evidence-Based Decision-Making Programme Team.

Her research compared evidence-to-action criminal justice reform programmes currently underway in the US, as well as having a particular focus on bail decision-making tools currently in use in the US, their development, limitations, risks and challenges. She’ll reflect on lessons for NZ arising from her time in the US.

1pm, 21 July 2016 Ministry of Justice, 19 Aitken St, Level 3 (rooms 3.3-3.5) – external visitors please go to reception on level 3.