In recent decades, the United States has maintained one of the highest incarceration rates in the world. Across the system — from police departments to courts and prisons — researchers and journalists have documented racial disparities, high costs, and rules that hinder, rather than promote, successful rehabilitation and reintegration to society. These findings have raised questions about the system’s effectiveness and its broader goals. Contact with the criminal justice system can present challenges in securing a job, qualifying for benefits, and finding stable housing — which in turn may become persistent barriers to economic mobility and well-being.

Efforts to reform the criminal justice system will require evidence on both system-level policy changes and interventions addressing underlying social and economic factors. The Opportunity Lab's Crime and Community Safety portfolio aims to generate that evidence by promoting interdisciplinary collaboration between members of our faculty network and researchers outside of Berkeley, contributing to intellectual and political debates on criminal justice reform, and sharing ideas with policymakers and stakeholders.

AFFILIATED FACULTY