Creating a more equitable justice system
The Microsoft Justice Reform Initiative works to empower communities and drive progress towards a more equitable justice system.
Our approach
As part of our overall commitment to addressing racial injustice and inequity, we apply our technology and expertise to accelerate the impact of justice reform organizations and nonprofits.
Improving policing policies and practices
We are working to facilitate relationship-building between law enforcement agencies and communities by investing in and partnering with organizations working to improve policies, programs, and practices.
Advancing models for public safety
We support innovative programs and public-safety models that are designed to provide law enforcement with more restorative alternatives to service delivery and to direct low-level offenders away from the justice system.
Data-driven prosecution reforms
We are working not only to advance data-driven transparency and accountability that empowers both the community and the prosecutors, but also to better understand the impact of prosecutorial discretion on communities of color.
Our focus areas
We invest in partnerships and cultivate relationships to improve access to data, share information, and provide meaningful insights to help empower stakeholders and support policy changes.
Policing
In partnership with organizations like the Vera Institute, we demonstrate the benefits of access to data and analytics to inform community conversations, improve transparency, and measure progress.
Read our announcement blog
Arrest Trends
We partnered with the Vera Institute to develop the Arrest Trends interactive visualization tool, which pulls together 40 years of data from thousands of agencies to produce trends in arrest demographics, clearance rates, and more.
Neighborhood Data for Social Change
We've partnered with the Urban Institute at the University of Southern California (USC) to synthesize multiple data sources to create a comprehensive measure of police-community relations in Los Angeles neighborhoods.
Additional partners
To create change, we partner with nonprofits, local and state governments, communities, and research organizations to advance and accelerate their impact and create safe, thriving communities.
National Police Foundation
The National Police Foundation (NPF) has developed CompStat360 to help support law enforcement agencies in taking a comprehensive approach to improving police performance and public safety.
Campaign Zero
The Campaign Zero Police Scorecard Project is the first comprehensive evaluation framework to make data on policing easily accessible to community stakeholders and provide policy solutions for common issues.
National Network for Safe Communities
The National Network for Safe Communities (NNSC) facilitates trust between law enforcement and communities by clarifying misunderstandings, recognizing harm, and developing shared goals.
NYU Policing Project
We’re partnering with the Policing Project at the New York University School of Law on a variety of initiatives designed to promote public safety through transparency, equity, and democratic engagement.
Empowering communities
We recognize that issues around inequality and the criminal justice system pose important and fundamental societal questions about bias, fairness, and equity. Download the Justice Reform Initiative factsheet to learn more about how we're working to empower communities and drive progress.
