State of the States: 2025 Justice and Behavioral Health Priorities

Governors across the country are making criminal justice and behavioral health top priorities in their 2025 state-of-the-state addresses. Common themes included substantial reductions in violent and property crime rates, strengthening law enforcement, and expanding mental health services. In 2025, governors across the country are committed to advancing key policies. Some are focused on youth crime prevention, while others emphasized reentry and rehabilitation. Read our roundup of the most pressing justice priorities shaping state-level policymaking this year. 

Medicaid Basics for Correctional Leaders and Agencies

This brief with the Center for Health Care Strategies offers correctional leaders an overview of Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) fundamentals, including their operations, eligibility, and services covered. It also highlights how state Medicaid programs and correctional agencies can collaborate to enhance outcomes for people transitioning from incarceration. 

Share Your County Stories: Celebrating 10 Years of Stepping Up

As we approach the 10th anniversary of the Stepping Up initiative in May 2025, we’re gathering stories, data, and other types of information from counties and partners to highlight its impact. The Stepping Up partners—the CSG Justice Center, the National Association of Counties, and the American Psychiatric Association Foundation—want to demonstrate the depth and breadth of Stepping Up counties’ work over the years. Your insights will help us share this journey with the public and key stakeholders via social media campaigns and web-based products. The more details you provide, the stronger our collective story will be. Thank you for your work in advancing Stepping Up in your county and for helping us celebrate our 10-year milestone! 

Register Now: 2025 Juvenile Justice Training Institutes

Judicial officers hearing delinquency cases are invited to the 2025 Courting Judicial Excellence Juvenile Justice Training Institutes—an intensive, interactive program designed to provide research, best practices, and peer networking opportunities. This free training is open to all judges handling youth justice cases and includes an option for follow-up technical assistance. Sessions will be held in Minneapolis (May 19–23), Anaheim (June 23–27), and Austin (August 18–22). Space is limited to 50 participants per location, so register today! Contact Christina Gilbert, cgilbert@csg.org, for more details. 

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