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Criminal Justice Reform

The United States incarcerates its residents at a higher rate than any other major country. We believe that local, state and federal governments can significantly reduce the use of incarceration and criminalization, averting substantial human and economic costs, while making communities safer. We believe that this issue presents an unusual degree of political opportunity, due to a recent confluence of progressive and conservative interest in reform and the increasing public attention to the problem.

If you are a funder interested in criminal justice reform, we are happy to work with you to identify the best giving opportunities. We are eager to work in partnership with other funders and share information to help resources go to the best work. If interested, please email [email protected].

Illustrative grants

A complete list of our grants in the area of Criminal Justice Reform can be found here. Grants include:

Strategy and information

Writing and speaking on criminal justice philanthropy

Research materials

Chloe Cockburn

Chloe Cockburn leads Open Philanthropy’s strategy for investing in criminal justice policy and practice reforms to substantially reduce incarceration while maintaining public safety. Prior to joining Open Philanthropy, she oversaw state policy reform work for the ACLU’s Campaign to End Mass Incarceration. Previously, Chloe worked with the Vera Institute and the civil rights law firm of Neufeld, Scheck and Brustin, and clerked for Judge Sifton of the Eastern District of New York. Chloe graduated from Harvard University with a BA in Classics and Visual Art, and has a JD from Harvard Law School. She joined Open Philanthropy in August 2015.