Recent News

On March 26, the Second Chance Hiring Alliance (SCHA), an initiative of the Council for Court Excellence, released its latest publication: The Workforce Solution: D.C. Employers FAQ for Second Chance Hiring. The Workforce Solution is targeted at D.C. business owners who are struggling to fill open positions or are looking to scale up and need talent. This valuable resource answers questions about the legal requirements, financial incentives, and protections available to an employer looking to expand their applicant pool through second chance hiring.

Our current Strategic Plan calls on CCE to publish certain race equity metrics and share progress on our goals annually. We want to ensure public accountability around our race equity goals. A new January 2025 report presents updates on progress made in 2024, and shares some demographic metrics we are tracking toward our overall diversity goals.

Read about some of our key accomplishments, publications, and events in 2024.

CCE releases brief year-end analysis of the jail population and crime data as 2024 comes to a close

CCE Policy & Education Associate Gene Downing, who leads our Second Chance Hiring Alliance, wrote a response to a recent Post article about reentry.

Lawyer and judge volunteers are needed to support CCE's School Jury Education Program sessions with D.C. students in January 2025!

Read the Fall 2024 edition of the Second Chance Hiring Alliance newsletter that includes a summary of recent and upcoming events, our newest partners, an employer profile, and more!

On September 23, 2024, CCE released "Is D.C. More Secure? A Criminal Legal System Overview", which provides up-to-date data on many key aspects of D.C.’s criminal legal system. The report gives particular focus to parts of the legal system that may be impacted in the months and years ahead by provisions of the SECURE D.C. legislation passed in early 2024.

On Tuesday, July 16, 2024 CCE hosted the latest Bench-Bar-Media Dialogue event, "Tell Us Everything: Handling the Demand for Information in High-Profile Trials in the Internet Age" at Williams & Connolly LLP. The event attracted 70 attendees, who engaged deeply with the expert insights shared by our distinguished panelists. Read this article to learn more!

On June 7, 2024 the District Task Force on Jails & Justice released a public statement on the D.C. Department of Corrections' plans for a new jail facility. The Task Force calls on District leaders to engage with its concerned members and those who are most impacted by the jail to develop a plan to house and treat people who are held in custody as safely and humanely as possible.

CCE, in partnership with the Office of the D.C. Auditor (ODCA), released a report which finds that the District’s child welfare and delinquency systems are not meeting the needs of “crossover youth,” who are young people who have been involved with both systems. This new audit report, "A Broken Web: Improved Interagency Collaboration is Needed for D.C.’s Crossover Youth," underscores the need for enhanced collaboration and targeted interventions to improve outcomes for both the young people themselves and community safety. 

The Council for Court Excellence invites you to join us and our distinguished co-sponsors for "Meet the Next Chief Judge" on June 13, 2024. At this candidate forum, interested members of the public will hear from the judges who have applied to succeed the Hon. Anita Josey-Herring as the Chief Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.