Criminal Justice
Abt Global partners with federal, state, local, tribal, and nonprofit organizations to modernize operations and protect public safety. We use AI and advanced methodologies to process and analyze public safety and corrections data. We provide research, evaluation, and strategic technical assistance to courts, law enforcement, corrections, and community supervision professionals. Our work spans key areas including substance use response, criminal justice data infrastructure, human trafficking research, and program evaluation. We bring together deep domain expertise and modern engineering to help the U.S. Department of Justice design secure, scalable, and user-centered digital tools.
Clients Include
Office of Justice Programs
Bureau of Justice Statistics
Bureau of Justice Assistance
National Institute of Justice
Roca Inc
SAMHSA
Arnold Ventures
Office of Victims of Crime
Legal Services Corporation
State & Local Law Enforcement & Departments of Corrections
Our Work
Online audit system to prevent, detect, and respond to sexual abuse and harassment in prisons
Best practices and resource guides for re-entry for formerly incarcerated people living with mental health conditions
Finding that curricula for high-risk young adults based on cognitive behavioral theory reduced recidivism and increased unsubsidized employment
Web-based data visualization tool showing local, state, and national justice expenditures
Multi-state study to assess the feasibility of collecting data on pregnant incarcerated women, a significant gap in criminal justice statistics
For years, collecting prisoner data was treated as little more than an accounting exercise: PIPO (prisoner in, prisoner out). The National Prisoner Statistics (NPS) program counts male and female prisoners each year plus confirmed HIV and AIDS cases.
Insights
Human Trafficking Prevalence Estimation Feasibility Study
Abt developed a feasibility study to determine how the U.S. could pilot important data collection to assess national estimates of human trafficking.
Publication
How to Make Federal Justice Data More User Friendly
Abt is making federal justice data more user friendly through better visualization and filtering capabilities.
Blog
Advancing Justice Through Data, Digital Innovation, & Strategic Partnerships
For 40+ years, Abt has advanced justice through research, strategic technical assistance, data-driven evaluation, and digital innovations.
Resource
Event- and Offender-Based Recidivism Methodology Using the National Corrections Reporting Program
A study by Abt Global found that the recidivism rate (rate that offenders return to prison) is about 33 percent, far lower than the roughly 50 percent rate in previous estimates. The Abt paper, funded by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) under Grant No. 2010-BJ-CX-K067, analyzed prison data in a novel way and enabled expansion of data gathering from 30 states to all 50 states. Previously analysts tallied offenders released each year and checked if they returned to prison later. They counted each year separately. That overrepresented repeat offenders who would show up in more than one year. Abt instead looked at the entire period 2000-2012 and counted individual offenders who returned to prison instead of releases. That lowered the recidivism rate substantially —and suggests that corrections interventions may be more effective than previously thought.
Publication
Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program (COSSUP) Data and Evaluation Training & Technical Assistance
People with a substance use disorder are overrepresented in the justice system, from the arrest phase to incarceration to the risk for recidivism. For example, more than 10 times as many people in prison (58 percent) and sentenced to jail (63 percent)…
Project
Advancing Justice Through Smarter, AI-Enabled Peer Review
Abt and Optimal Solutions bring justice policy experience and AI-enabled peer review technology to the Office of Justice Programs.
Resource
How Florida’s E-Verify Law May Increase Labor Trafficking
Some features of Florida’s new E-Verify law could put workers at greater risk for labor trafficking and exploitation.
Blog