Center Provides Data Foundation for Informed Policy Decisions
(New York, NY) – The Data Collaborative for Justice (DCJ) at John Jay College of Criminal Justice is proud to announce Michael Rempel as its new director. Director Rempel comes to John Jay after over twenty years at the Center for Court Innovation where he most recently was director of jail reform.
“I am pleased to welcome Michael Rempel to the John Jay College community. His knowledge and experience advancing research and policy related to public safety and the criminal legal system provides a great foundation for the work he will do at the Data Collaborative for Justice,” said John Jay College President Karol V. Mason. “For years, the Data Collaborative for Justice has provided the public, agency leaders and elected officials – both locally and nationally – with research on key public safety topics from arrest trends to bail reform to jail populations. I’m confident that under Michael’s leadership, DCJ will continue to support safe, just and equitable communities through data and research on criminal justice system policies, operations and reforms.”
After spending 16 years as the Center for Court Innovation’s research director, Rempel’s recent focus has been on research and strategic planning related to reducing incarceration in New York City. Among his recent work, he studied the implementation of New York’s bail reform law and shifting trends in its jail population, two topics on which DCJ has released reports.
“The Data Collaborative for Justice’s strength is in serving as a source of rigorous, trusted, and non-partisan data analysis,” said Rempel. “My goal is that DCJ will continue to be known for reporting the facts, regardless of whose preconceptions they may confirm or disconfirm. I’d also like DCJ to be a policy partner to the expanding array of players inside as well as outside the criminal legal system who explicitly share goals such as decarceration and racial equity.”
Jeremy Travis, Executive Vice President of Criminal Justice at Arnold Ventures and former John Jay College President, co-founded DCJ with John Jay Professor Dr. Preeti Chauhan, whom Rempel is replacing.
“In a short time, the Data Collaborative for Justice has become a significant advocate for data-informed criminal justice policy reforms in New York and across the country. The appointment of Michael Rempel as the second DCJ Director, with his extensive research experience at the Center for Court Innovation, ensures that DCJ will continue to carry out this critical mission,” said Vice President Travis. “My Arnold Ventures colleagues and I look forward to continuing to work with Michael and the team at DCJ in promoting evidence-based policies that advance justice on behalf of the communities we serve.”
“The Data Collaborative for Justice was founded in 2012 with the goal of providing objective and rigorous evidence to advance criminal justice system policies that are safe, just, and equitable. Under Michael’s leadership, I am certain that DCJ will thrive and continue to provide critical research for criminal justice stakeholders,” said former Director Chauhan.
Rempel’s recent work has moved from a national to New York City focus. He helped plan and study the city’s Early Release (6-A) Program, launched at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. His jail reform team recently completed a project with the Independent Commission on NYC Criminal Justice and Incarceration Reform (a.k.a. the Lippman Commission) to develop comprehensive recommendations for minimizing the city’s use of jail.
“When I was working on the original Lippman Commission report in 2017 which recommend the closure of Rikers jails, I decided it would be more rewarding, and perhaps even more impactful, to focus intensively on New York,” added Rempel. “Some of DCJ’s most compelling studies under Dr. Chauhan have done just this: map a 30-year history of progress in arrest, prosecution, and incarceration practices in our city and state—as well as document steep racial disparities and damaging effects of system involvement that persist. Joining DCJ is a logical extension of where I’ve been headed and I look forward to continuing on this path.”
DCJ is one of several centers housed at John Jay College and has published reports on a wide variety of issues including marijuana arrests, bail reform, misdemeanor arrests, criminal summonses, pedestrian stops, trends in jail admissions and custody, as well as evaluations of reform initiatives. Previously known as the Misdemeanor Justice Project, DCJ also houses the Research Network on Misdemeanor Justice, a partnership of seven sites spread across the United States.
“We are delighted to have Mike Rempel join the research community at John Jay College. Mike brings a wealth of experience advancing criminal justice policy, and we look forward to him leading the Data Collaborative for Justice and continuing the innovative work initiated under Director Preeti Chauhan,” said Professor Anthony Carpi, Dean of Research.
About the Data Collaborative for Justice
The Data Collaborative for Justice (DCJ) at John Jay College of Criminal Justice houses a group of research initiatives that raise important questions and share critical research about the criminal justice system and its role in creating safe, just and equitable communities. DCJ conducts data analysis and research on enforcement in the community, the adjudication of cases in the courts, and the use of confinement in jails and prisons. DCJ’s work has informed policy reforms, facilitated partnerships between researchers and government agencies across the country, spurred new scholarly research on lower-level enforcement, and been cited extensively in the press. For more information, please go to: datacollaborativeforjustice.org.
About John Jay College of Criminal Justice:
An international leader in educating for justice, John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York is a Hispanic Serving Institution and Minority Serving Institution offering a rich liberal arts and professional studies curriculum to 15,000 undergraduate and graduate students from more than 135 nations. John Jay is home to faculty and research centers at the forefront of advancing criminal and social justice reform. In teaching, scholarship and research, the College engages the theme of justice and explores fundamental human desires for fairness, equality and the rule of law. For more information, visit www.jjay.cuny.edu and follow us on Twitter @JohnJayCollege.
