By Travis Reginal, Jesse Jannetta, Sam Hoppe

This case study explores how Lake County, Illinois, and the City and County of San Francisco, with support from the Safety and Justice Challenge (SJC)—an initiative funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to reduce overincarceration and disparities in jail populations—integrated equity into their efforts to reduce local jail populations. By examining the relationship between equity and decarceration, we provide actionable insights for jurisdictions aiming to address the root causes of incarceration disparities. The case study shows how these sites reevaluated and reshaped practices to tackle systemic inequities, offering a roadmap for reducing the overrepresentation of marginalized groups in the criminal legal system.

WHY THIS MATTERS

In the ongoing pursuit of criminal legal system reform, equity has emerged as a crucial lens for reshaping policies and practices. Systemic inequities—evidenced by racial and ethnic disparities in arrests, detention, and incarceration—remain pervasive. For example, Black people are jailed at nearly 3.5 times the rate of White people, and Native Americans at more than 2 times the rate. These disparities reflect both historical structural inequities, such as segregation, and unequal application of law enforcement practices.

With SJC support, jurisdictions have sought to reduce jail populations and eliminate racial inequities in them. While these decarceration efforts have reduced jail populations overall, many sites still struggle to address disparities, as reductions have often disproportionately benefited White people.

This case study underscores why prioritizing equity is essential for justice reform, offering actionable insights to help policymakers, practitioners, and advocates align decarceration goals with equity objectives. By addressing the root causes of disparities, jurisdictions can advance more effective, humane, and equitable approaches to justice.

WHAT WE FOUND

Drawing on stakeholders’ perceptions of their SJC efforts in Lake County and San Francisco, we highlight key lessons from their initiatives to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in local jails. These insights are intended to inform other jurisdictions as they navigate the challenges and opportunities of integrating equity into their justice reform strategies.

Lessons other jurisdictions might find informative for reducing racial and ethnic disparities in their jails include the following:

• Data play a pivotal role in efforts toward equity. Both sites demonstrated the importance of robust data analysis in identifying disparities and informing reforms. For instance, San Francisco used data to pinpoint drug-related offenses as a key driver of its jail population. However, data alone are insufficient—strategies to engage stakeholders who are not persuaded by data are also necessary.

• Institutionalizing equity work is a multilayered process. Sustaining progress requires embedding equity efforts into organizational structures. Both sites faced challenges owing to staff turnover and a lack of continuity plans, which slowed momentum. Creating dedicated equity-focused roles and ensuring succession planning are critical to maintaining long-term impact.

• Cross-system partnerships are needed to reduce disparities. Racial disparities are driven by inequities across systems like housing, education, and health care. Both sites highlighted the need for coordinated efforts across these sectors to address systemic barriers and promote equity effectively.

• Community engagement continues to be a challenging area for government. Both sites identified opportunities to improve how they engage with the community and raise awareness of their SJC work. Deciding when and how to involve the community meaningfully is critical for building trust and securing buy-in. It is equally important to provide supports and structures that enable community members—particularly those with lived experience—to participate effectively in partnerships with system actors and agencies. Additionally, balancing power dynamics between stakeholders requires careful planning, such as using a toolkit to manage relationships and foster equitable collaboration.

HOW WE DID IT

To develop this case study, we drew on three primary data sources: semistructured interviews with 17 stakeholders from Lake County and San Francisco (conducted between March 2023 and January 2024), analysis of SJC progress reports and public documents, and jail population trend data from the Institute for State and Local Governance. Interviewees represented a range of justice agencies and community partners, sharing insights on equity-focused reforms, challenges, and successes. We analyzed the interviews using NVivo qualitative software, applying a codebook developed to identify trends and themes related to local reform efforts and equity strategies.

Washington, DC: Urban Institute, 2025. 45p.