Criminal Justice Journalists, a non-profit organization, was founded in 1997. Our goal is to improve the quality and accuracy of news reporting on crime, law enforcement, and the judicial system. In January 2001, CJJ affiliated with the Jerry Lee Center of Criminology of the University of Pennsylvania. The center was founded by Jerry Lee, president of WBEB-FM in Philadelphia. CJJ later was affiliated with the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
In January 2021, CJJ changed its affiliation to Arizona State University. In December 2021, the National Criminal Justice Association joined as a co-sponsor and publisher of the daily digest Crime and Justice News. At Arizona State, we continue to be affiliated with the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, the Academy for Justice at the Sandra Day O’Connor School of Law, and the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
The news digest and feature stories can be seen at ncja.org/crime-and-justice-news Anyone may subscribe for free at that site.
To learn more about CJJ, please visit:
- About Us
- What’s New
- ListServ — journalists may join our Cops & Court Reporters discussion list
- Membership — find out how to become a member of CJJ.
- Previous Conferences — read program information and press releases about our conferences.
Major Projects
Annual Review of News Media Coverage of Criminal Justice
CJJ each year talks to national experts about how well the media did in covering key issues during the previous year. See our reviews for 2021, 2020 and 2019 on this site. Transcripts of earlier calls with experts can be viewed at TheCrimeReport.org, including this one for 2018.
Understanding Crime and Justice Statistics –
In the 1990s, CJJ began collaborating with Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) to write a guide to journalists for interpreting crime statistics. We cover the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports, the Bureau of Justice Statistics’s National Crime Victimization Survey, and other key statistical sources for reporters, not only on crime trends but also on the entire criminal justice system. The guide is available to CJJ members at the IRE member cost: $15. The third edition was published in 2016. You may order it on the IRE website.
Criminal Justice Journalists 