Amplifying voices in criminal justice reform: An equitable approach to evaluating the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Safety and Justice Challenge program

Abstract Information: The Safety and Justice Challenge (SJC) is a system reform initiative that provides support to local communities that are ready to tackle one of the greatest drivers of over-incarceration in America—the misuse and overuse of jails. Over fifty participating cities, counties, and states across the country have been doing the on-the-groundwork of reimagining and rebuilding local justice systems with support from The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. This panel will discuss the role of evaluation in amplifying the voices of people with lived experience from three perspectives. First, the panel will provide insights into the MacArthur Foundation’s use of evaluation as a critical tool for amplifying the voices and engage a wide range of constituencies within the SJC initiative. Second, led by a diverse group of evaluators from different racial and ethnic backgrounds, areas of expertise, and levels of experience, the SJC evaluation team will describe its use of an Equitable Systems Change (ESC) learning and evaluation framework to amplify the voices of a range of stakeholders in the SJC evaluation’s outcome, implementation, and communications studies. Third, the panel will provide insights into how local communities have amplified the voices of a range of stakeholders in their jail reform efforts. Sites have had to diligently balance efforts to engage key system leaders and organizations with the power and capacity to shift system-level policies and resources while also amplifying the voices of those most impacted and with lived experience related to policing and criminal justice reform.