Announcing a new initiative
The SAFE HOPE Study
Interdisciplinary team of Duke researchers will evaluate Durham guaranteed basic income program for reentering community members
Renewing a Commitment to Justice
How the Wilson Foundation is sustaining and advancing the Wilson Center’s impact
The latest from the Wilson Center
Reentry Success in North Carolina Is Closely Linked to the Timing and Continuity of Support
New report demonstrates how early planning, peer support, and location shape reentry success
Our latest resource:
The Life Sentences Dashboard
Users can explore two decades of life sentences in the United States
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 fairness 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 solutions.
Areas of Focus
Improving Fairness and Public Safety
Advancing data-driven solutions to racial, economic, behavioral health, and other structural disparities in the criminal legal system to strengthen communities and improve safety for all
Building Pathways Out of and Diversion from the Criminal Legal System
Improving supports for people as they return to their communities after incarceration and preventing entry into the criminal legal system through alternative models
Preventing Wrongful Convictions
Promoting better forensic practices and legal decision-making to eliminate wrongful convictions and strengthen fairness of and trust in the criminal legal system
Advancing Fair Sentencing and Expanding Pathways to Release
Promoting second chances and fairer sentencing to build a justice system that values accountability, redemption, and public safety
Reducing the Harms of Criminal Legal System Involvement
Reducing behavioral health and financial harms to individuals as a result of criminal legal system involvement to create safer and more stable communities
What's Happening
The latest updates and news from the Wilson Center
News from the Wilson Center
Psychiatric Advanced Directives: An Underutilized Practice That Could Change Psychiatric Crisis Care
Filling a Gap: Our Work on Psychiatric Advanced Directives Dr. Marvin Swartz is the lead of the Behavioral Health Team at the Wilson Center for Science and Justice, a Professor […]
The Field Drug Test Problem: Inaccurate, Widely Used, and a Pervasive Injustice in North Carolina
This is part two of a two-part series. For an overview of these tests, check out part one. The Problem In Iowa, a mother went public after her daughter was […]
False Positive: The $2 Drug Test Behind Thousands of Wrongful Arrests
The Scenario Imagine you are a college student driving home after a late practice. Your gym bag is in the backseat, there’s chalk on your hands, and a torn Splenda packet […]
Does Suspending a License Really Get People to Court?
Driver’s license suspensions are often defended as a tool for accountability. North Carolina data shows it hasn’t solved the problem and has lasting consequences. In 2025, law enforcement across North […]