Staff and Project Partners

Director

Michael Thompson has worked on criminal justice policy issues for nearly 20 years. He started with the Council of State Governments (CSG) in 1997 as a policy analyst and the sole staff person assigned to the criminal justice program for CSG’s Eastern Regional Conference. Under his leadership, that program launched major projects in the areas of victim rights, criminal justice/mental health collaboration, and prisoner reentry. Since transforming the regional criminal justice program into the national CSG Justice Center, Mike designed the Justice Reinvestment Initiative and conceptualized the organization’s work in school discipline. The Justice Center’s work has prompted bipartisan legislative and programmatic initiatives in states across the country. Mike has authored numerous publications and testified before Congress on multiple occasions. He is routinely interviewed by national media outlets as a recognized expert on criminal justice issues. Prior to joining CSG, Mike worked for three years for the Office of the Court Monitor in San Juan, Puerto Rico—an office established by a U.S. District Court Judge. Mike received his B.A. with honors from Middlebury College.

Policy Staff

Andrew Barbee – Senior Researcher

Andrew Barbee will use his extensive background with the court and legislative processes to support the Justice Reinvestment projects in different states. Most recently, he was the senior researcher in the Texas Office of Court Administration, where he worked on a caseload study of the Texas courts. This study was used by the Texas legislature to determine the need for new courts in the state. He also worked in the Texas financial obligations report produced by that office in collaboration with us. Andy was also a manager in the System Forecasting Division of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, where he was responsible for the forecasts of the adult and child protective services populations and caseworker caseloads. His previous experience also includes a senior researcher position at the Texas Criminal Justice Policy Council, where he was responsible for developing the official adult correctional population projections for Texas and responsible for conducting impact analyses of legislation using the agency’s simulation model. Andy has an M. A. in Criminal Justice from Sam Houston State University.

Anne Bettesworth – Policy Analyst

Anne Bettesworth is a policy analyst who helps advance the justice reinvestment initiative for the Justice Center. Her previous experience includes working as a policy associate in the Government Relations Office of the American Psychological Association, and as legislative staff for a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, both in Washington, D.C. She is experienced in drafting legislative language and policy recommendations, engaging in coalition building, and organizing meetings among policymakers. Anne has a B.A. in political science from the University of Washington and a master’s degree in public administration from The George Washington University.

Marshall Clement – Division Director, State Initiatives

Marshall Clement directs the CSG Justice Center’s justice reinvestment project, which assists policymakers seeking to increase public safety, reduce corrections spending, and improve conditions in the neighborhoods to which most people released from prison return. As part of this assistance, Marshall coordinates the work of a team of national experts to analyze corrections data and policy and develop policy options for state policymakers. He regularly facilitates meetings among judicial and state agency officials, and testifies before legislative committees in various states across the US. His findings have been used to inform policy initiatives in states that have enjoyed overwhelming bipartisan support. Before joining the Justice Center, Marshall was a policy researcher with the Rhode Island Family Life Center, a nationally recognized prisoner reentry program, where he worked on improving access to housing and TANF resources for individuals recently released from prison and jail. Marshall received his B.A. in Public Policy with honors from Brown University.

Robert Coombs – Senior Policy Analyst and Public Affairs Manager

Robert helps guide communications and policy strategies in Justice Reinvestment states by developing and executing a state-specific communications plan, developing key messages for each state, and engaging key stakeholders to assist in communicating those messages. In addition, Robert coordinates with the Justice Center’s communications team on project-wide documents and the overall communication plan, and helps communicate successes in the states to government officials. Previously, he has worked at the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault, most recently as the director of public affairs and also served recently as the chair of the California Sex Offender Management Board, appointed by the governor. He holds a bachelor’s degree in communication and a master’s degree in organizational communication from the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Mike Eisenberg – Research Manager

Mike Eisenberg manages the logistics and methodology of key research and evaluation projects in the areas of parole, probation, and substance abuse and mental health treatment programs. For the past 25 years he has directed complex research projects and has written analytical reports for policymakers and correctional administrators for the state of Texas, including work for the Criminal Justice Policy Council, Board of Pardons and Paroles, and Department of Criminal Justice-Parole Division. Most recently he served as Director of Research and Evaluation for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice-Community Justice Assistance Division. He has evaluated substance abuse treatment, mentally ill offender diversion programs, faith-based correctional programs, sex offender treatment, and employment and correctional education programs. Mike also has conducted technical assistance activities for state universities and national experts in Florida and Missouri. He received a B.A. and M.A. from the University of Texas at Austin.

Tony Fabelo – Division Director, Research

Tony Fabelo, Ph.D., is in charge of designing, developing and implementing a research agenda for the Justice Center. He also provides technical assistance to state and local governments to help them increase public safety and make more efficient uses of state and local taxpayer dollars. Before joining CSG, he was a Senior Research Associate with the JFA Institute. He worked between 1984 and 2003 with the Texas Criminal Justice Policy Council, appointed to head this state research and evaluation agency in 1991. During Tony’s tenure on the council, he advised five governors (including former Governors Ann Richards and George W. Bush) and ten regular biennial Texas legislatures in developing criminal and juvenile justice policies. Tony received his B.A. in Political Science from Loyola University, and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin.

Megan Grasso – Policy Analyst

Megan Grasso provides assistance to state policymakers in implementing justice reinvestment strategies. Prior to joining the CSG Justice Center, she served as a legislative analyst with the Office of Management and Budget and as a legislative aide for a New Jersey state senator. She received her bachelor’s degree with honors from Rutgers University and her master’s degree in public policy from the University of Maryland.

Fred Osher – Division Director, Behavioral Health

Fred Osher, M.D., oversees the health components of the CSG Justice Center’s initiatives. He also provides technical assistance to state and local governments across the country seeking to improve their response to people who have mental health and/or substance use disorders and are involved in the criminal justice system. Before joining the CSG Justice Center, Osher served as the Director of the Center for Behavioral Health, Justice, and Public Policy and as an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He has published extensively in the areas of homelessness, community psychiatry, co-occurring mental and addictive disorders, and effective approaches to persons with behavioral disorders within criminal justice settings.

Jennifer Pealer – Senior Policy Analyst

Jennifer Pealer is a senior policy analyst with the justice reinvestment project at the CSG Justice Center. Dr. Pealer works with criminal justice systems to implement data-driven policies and programs. Prior to joining the Justice Center, she was the Assistant Commissioner of Research and Program Development for the Kansas Juvenile Justice Authority where she was responsible for developing, implementing, and overseeing evidence-based practices, programs, and training agendas. Dr. Pealer has served as a consultant to many correctional programs throughout the United States by providing training and technical assistance in offender risk/need instruments and effective practices in risk reduction. She earned her B.A. and M.A. in criminal justice from East Tennessee State University and her Ph.D. in criminal justice from the University of Cincinnati.

Marc Pelka – Senior Policy Analyst

Marc Pelka provides assistance to state policymakers in implementing justice reinvestment strategies. Before joining CSG, Marc served as a press aide in the Connecticut House of Representatives and subsequently as a policy aide to the Speaker of the House. His duties for the Speaker consisted of legislative research, planning, and coordination, with a concentration on policy before the Judiciary Committee. Marc received his B.A. with honors from New York University and his M.P.P. in criminal justice policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Jessica Tyler – Senior Research Associate

Jessica Tyler is responsible for designing and managing long-term research projects; conducting or assisting with data analysis; and writing research reports directed at national, state, and local elected officials and policymakers. Before joining the Justice Center, she was a senior researcher at the Texas Office of Court Administration, working on court and indigent defense research. Previously, she worked for MGT of America, a large national consulting company with offices in Austin. In that role, she worked on different criminal justice projects, including the assessment of police and corrections departments. In addition, she has taught criminal justice at the Austin Community College. Jessica has a B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin and holds an M.A. in public policy from the College of William and Mary and an M.A. in political science from the University of Houston.

In Memoriam

Jason John Bryl

The Council of State Governments Justice Center lost a valued colleague, Jason J. Bryl, on August 15, 2010. Jason was a research and data consultant who worked from the Austin, Texas, office. His work provided needed support to the organization and to the many policymakers looking for data-driven answers to difficult challenges in states across the nation. He was also a talented musician and was known for his commitment and sense of humor. A 1994 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he is survived by his wife and two children. Jason was 41 and will be missed by the CSG family and the many individuals whose lives he touched.

Project Partners

Public Safety Performance Project

The Council of State Governments Justice Center, through its Justice Reinvestment Initiative, is a partner of the Public Safety Performance Project of the Pew Center on the States (PSPP). Justice Center staff work with the PSPP to provide expert technical assistance to states.

The PSPP assists select states that want better results from their sentencing and corrections systems by providing nonpartisan research, analysis and expertise to help states identify data-driven, fiscally responsible options for protecting public safety, holding offenders accountable, and controlling corrections costs.

The Justice Reinvestment Initiative draws on a diverse group of expert consultants who bring extensive experience and insights to the Initiative’s work.

Center for Employment Opportunities
Mindy Tarlow, Chief Executive Officer/Executive Director

Crime & Justice Institute
Elyse Clawson, Executive Director

JFA Institute
Dr. James Austin, President
Wendy Naro, Vice President

Justice Mapping Center
Eric Cadora, Director
Charles Swartz, Associate Director

McCormack, Baron, Salazar
Richard D. Baron, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO

Urban Institute
Nancy G. La Vigne, Director, Justice Policy Center

Urban Strategies, Inc.
Sandra M. Moore, President