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In this special episode of Justice Today, BJA Director Karhlton F. Moore is marking a significant milestone in the world of justice and public safety—the 40th anniversary of the Bureau of Justice Assistance.

During this episode, which is part one of our podcast series celebrating BJA’s 40th anniversary, we sit down with several former BJA directors who reflect on the agency’s evolution, the challenges it has faced, and its crucial role in responding to national crises.

The nation's prisons and jails are struggling to recruit and retain staff. These staffing challenges impact re-entry efforts and overall public safety. In this episode of Justice Today, hear from former BJA fellow Dr. Danielle Rudes on how leaders can make correctional institutions better for staff and residents.

Law enforcement agencies are teaming up with mental health clinicians to improve behavioral health responses and allow police officers to focus on crime reduction. In this episode of Justice Today, our host discusses how Denver police work side-by-side with mental health clinicians to treat residents experiencing mental health emergencies and connect them with treatment.

Every day, Joe Platania and his office make complex judgment calls that help decide whether people will spend years or even decades behind bars. During this episode, Platania explains how this process of “prosecutorial discretion” works.

During this episode, hear how Navajo County, Arizona, county prosecutor Bradley Carlyon is working to help residents on the road to recovery from the moment they enter the county jail.

During this episode, hear how how the 30X30 Initiative, which is sponsored by BJA, is improving public safety by helping local law enforcement agencies recruit and retain more women.

During this episode, hear how National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative funding helped the state of Georgia process a backlog of sexual assault kits, which led to the identification and conviction of a serial rapist.

During this episode, Mayor Jermaine Wilson describes his personal journey from maximum security prison to the highest elected office in his hometown.

Formerly incarcerated people face a web of laws that Marlon Chamberlain describes as "permanent punishments." During this episode, he discusses his campaign to eliminate them.

During this episode, three Black law enforcement leaders discuss why they walked 54 miles from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama—retracing the route of a famous 1965 civil rights march—and how their journey changed their professional and personal lives.

During this episode, Detective Johnson and Dr. Williamson describe how decades of determined police work and cutting-edge forensic science identified Joe Michael Ervin as the person who assaulted and murdered four women between 1978 and 1981.

Reflecting back on Recovery Month, BJA’s Betsi Griffith discusses BJA’s work in this area and some of the lessons learned from it.

During this episode, David Gibbs explains how he escaped an addiction to alcohol and drugs that began when he was eight years old.

Hear from Doreen Schenkenberger as she describes how she recovered from alcoholism that began at age 13 and now leads a statewide organization that assists others on that same path.

Today, across the U.S., there are 500 specialized courts designed to address the needs of military veterans. During this podcast episode, Judge Robert Russell explains how he founded the first one.

Robin Engel, a nationally respected criminologist and professor at the University of Cincinnati, discusses her research and experience leading police reform efforts across the United States.

During this episode, the recently appointed BJA Director, Karhlton F. Moore, explains what attracted him to BJA and where he sees the office going in the future.

During this episode, a nationally recognized expert discusses America’s 3,800 drug and treatment courts, which are transforming the way the justice system addresses people with substance use and addiction issues.

During this episode, Chris Poulos shares lessons learned during his remarkable personal journey from incarceration to lawyer and White House Fellow to senior corrections policymaker in the State of Washington.

During this episode, two people who not only have studied reentry from incarceration but experienced it themselves offer their unique perspectives.