
Akua
Amaning
Director, Criminal Justice Reform
We focus on developing policies to shrink the justice system’s footprint, improve public health and safety, and promote equity and accountability.
Our work is centered around developing and supporting policies that will end unjust punishments and reduce the social and economic harms of mass incarceration, which have disproportionately devastated Black people and other communities of color.
We work to advance meaningful alternatives to the criminal legal system that address the root causes of violence, promote community-driven responses to people in crisis, and increase investments that improve public health and community safety over the long term.
We are working to drastically reduce the criminalization of drugs in America while restoring communities that have been most affected by harsh drug enforcement measures.
We advocate for policy options that remove obstacles and barriers for people affected by the criminal justice system while simultaneously highlighting the leadership of affected people in the reform movement.
The Criminal Justice Reform team collaborates with a number of justice reform partners at the national, state, and local levels to help build a more progressive justice system.
The Justice Roundtable is a broad-based coalition of more than 100 organizations working to reform federal criminal justice laws and policies.
Justice Roundtable
The Clean Slate Initiative is a national bipartisan coalition advancing policies to automatically clear all eligible criminal records across the United States and help state partners provide people with a fresh start.
Clean Slate Initiative
The Marijuana Justice Coalition is a broad coalition of national advocacy organizations, convened by the Drug Policy Alliance, who have joined forces to advocate for federal marijuana reform through a racial and economic justice lens.
Drug Policy Alliance - Marijuana Justice Coalition
A Polling Briefing featuring Artist and Activist John Legend
Democratic mayors across the country are using a wide range of strategies and approaches to respond to violent crime and address its root causes.
Despite “tough on crime” rhetoric, Republican-led states are not nearly as safe as New Jersey, a state that has ended cash bail.
Despite strong opposition from law enforcement agencies, Republicans have passed gun laws that endanger police officers.
Despite Republican claims, police in the largest Democrat-run cities have not been defunded.