Samantha Levine, Allana Jackson and Alan Tuck

Following a number of high-profile successes, The Justice Project (TJP) was awash in opportunities to effect positive change in the criminal justice system. Its leaders, however, were concerned that the organization was in danger of spreading itself too thin. To help clarify which options to pursue, they engaged in the organization’s first formal strategic-planning process.

Taking into account TJP’s strengths and their knowledge of how social change occurs in the criminal justice arena, the leaders set clear goals for a 10-year period. They also developed a set of criteria to use in evaluating opportunities. Finally, they dedicated significant resources to monitoring the pulse of the criminal justice reform environment, to ensure that they would spot high-potential opportunities in a timely way. These actions have helped The Justice Project strike the right balance for its future work: clarifying the organization’s direction and priorities without stifling the flexibility that is so central to its success.

www.thejusticeproject.org