The National Criminal Justice Reform Project (NCJRP) was a five-year initiative that assisted states in advancing criminal justice reform through an executive-led, comprehensive strategic planning process and the adoption of data-driven and evidence-based policies, practices, and programs (EBPs).

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Supported by Arnold Ventures and administered by the National Criminal Justice Association (NCJA) and the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center), the NCJRP was designed to achieve transformational and durable state-level criminal justice reforms. The reform efforts focused on improving reentry and reducing recidivism, pretrial release and bail reform, and improving access to data and information sharing.

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The NCJRP approach was designed to build capacity in states by leveraging existing knowledge, expertise and resources. By meeting states “where they are” and providing guidance and support to both policymakers and programmatic staff during planning and implementation, the NCJRP aimed to achieve more effective and durable outcomes than those previously pursued through other reform models.