Diverse group to help lead criminal justice think tank

California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye and former Gov. Jerry Brown have joined with a group of activists and policy experts on the board of trustees of a new think tank.

The Council on Criminal Justice board of trustees is co-chaired by former Acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Q. Yates and Koch Industries Vice President Mark Holden. The trustees also includes Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Black Lives Matter and Campaign Zero activist DeRay Mckesson.

On a conference call with reporters, several people involved with the organization said it would work on issues where there was already widespread agreement and the opportunity to target "low-hanging fruit" in terms of criminal justice changes.

"We have the data to make the big changes," Mckesson said on a conference call with reporters on Tuesday. "What we don't have is the will."

According to a press release, the organization will "build consensus for solutions based on facts, evidence, and fundamental principles of justice." There is a "brief window" of opportunity to make significant changes to the criminal justice system while voters are focused on its problems, said Laurie O. Robinson, who chairs the group's board of directors.

Robinson is a professor of law at George Mason University and a former co-chair President Barack Obama's White House Task Force on 21st Century Policing.

In the near term, Holden said he expects the group to look at sentencing, expungement and clemency in criminal courts, particularly for drug offenders. Longer-term issues include taking on indigent defense and the power of prosecutors.

The press release also stated the group will not engage in lobbying.

The group aims to raise $25 million over the next five years.

-- Malcolm Maclachlan