New report examines transport for people experiencing behavioral health crises
Changing the Route
Seeking Compassionate Alternatives to Police Transport in Involuntary Civil Commitment
Our latest report
Wrongful Convictions in North Carolina
Lessons Learned and Recommendations for Continued Reform
Wilson Center Releases New Policy Brief
The Aging Prison Population and Dementia
Best Practices for Care and Release
Latest in the ODonnell Consent Decree
Houston Bail Monitor Report Released
7th report from Monitorship led by Wilson Center Faculty Director Brandon Garrett shows decline in misdemeanor arrests with no negative impact on safety
The Wilson Center leads national and community efforts to reform our criminal legal system, in collaborations, policy work, and research, drawing on the energy and expertise of our students, faculty, and staff at Duke.
Faculty Director and Founder, Professor Brandon Garrett
About the Wilson Center for Science and Justice
The Wilson Center for Science and Justice at Duke Law works to advance criminal justice and equity through science and law. The Center's work is non-partisan and evidence-informed. We engage with community stakeholders, academics, and policy makers to conduct and translate interdisciplinary research into effective and practical policy change.
Our work focuses on three key areas: improving the accuracy of the evidence used in criminal cases, promoting fair and equitable outcomes in the criminal legal system, and improving behavioral health outcomes for persons who encounter, or are at risk for encountering, the criminal legal system.
Areas of Focus
Accuracy of Evidence
Preventing wrongful convictions by improving and fundamentally reforming how scientists, the public, judges, lawyers, and jurors understand evidence presented in court
Equity in Criminal Outcomes
Promoting fair and equitable outcomes in the criminal legal system by identifying racial, economic, and other structural inequities at all levels
Behavioral Health Needs
Improving outcomes for persons with mental illness and substance use disorders who encounter, or are at risk for encountering, the criminal legal system
What's Happening
The latest updates and news from the Wilson Center
News from the Wilson Center
New Wilson Center report explores alternatives to law enforcement transport for people experiencing behavioral health crises
For too many people experiencing acute mental illness, cries for help bring police and handcuffs rather than compassionate medical intervention. But this doesn’t have to be the case. The Wilson […]
New Report: Wrongful Convictions in North Carolina
Today marks International Wrongful Convictions Day – a day designed to raise awareness of the causes and remedies of wrongful convictions and to shed light on the tremendous harms wrongful […]
Tyler Kendall joins Wilson Center for Science and Justice
Kendall becomes Research Director, leading the Center’s research efforts Tyler Kendall has joined the Wilson Center for Science and Justice as the Center’s Research Director. Here he will guide the […]
New Report: Dementia and the Aging Prison Population
Wilson Center Releases Policy Brief on Best Practices for Care and Release of Incarcerated Individuals with Dementia The number of incarcerated seniors has tripled in the last 20 years, and […]