Who we are
The Criminal Justice Alliance is a network of 200+ organisational and academic members working towards a fair and effective criminal justice system.
Our members include charities, social enterprises, think tanks, research institutions and staff associations. They work across the criminal justice system, in areas such as crime prevention, sentencing, policing, prisons, probation, victim services, mental health, drug policy and treatment, and more.
We are based in London but cover the whole of England and Wales. We are governed by a board of trustees, who bring expertise from advocacy, academia, finance and lived experience.
The CJA was founded in 2007, having previously been the Penal Affairs Consortium. We became a charity in 2011.
We receive our funding mainly from the generous support of trusts and foundations, as well as membership fees. We do not take any funding from the government, so we can remain fully independent.
What we do
Investigating key issues and influencing policy. We gather the experiences, ideas and good practice of members, as well as carrying out our own research and investigation into key issues in criminal justice. We promote our findings through co-produced, evidence-led briefings for policy makers and commissioners, showing them how they can create a fair and effective criminal justice system. We show what is working and what isn’t working, and make recommendations for systemic change.
Making connections. We bring together practitioners, researchers, people with lived experience and policy makers from across the criminal justice system, so they can share learning, break down silos and identify opportunities for collaboration.
Keeping people informed. The criminal justice system is vast and complex. Through our newsletters, social media, blogs and events, we keep members informed and up to date with fast-moving changes in policy and practice. We highlight success stories and good practice, as well as potentially damaging reforms, and promote ways for members to get involved in influencing policy.
Our vision is of a fair and effective criminal justice system that works well for everyone and leads to a more equitable society.
Our mission is to achieve sustainable, systemic change, through the collective power of our membership network.
Find out more in our new strategy for 2022-2027, Reimagine, redesign, rebuild: driving systemic change together, and our 2023-2024 workplan.
Stay updated
You can follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube or sign up for email updates on our work.
Our funders
We are grateful for the generous support of our funders. We don’t take funding from the government so we can remain independent.
