State of the States 2026: What Governors Are Saying About Crime, Behavioral Health, and Reentry - CSG Justice Center State leaders reported meaningful reductions in violent crime, overdose deaths, and homelessness, and announced major investments in law enforcement, mental health, and crisis response.

In their annual addresses, governors across the country used their speeches to announce major investments in law enforcement, crisis response, and mental health.

csgjusticecenter.org/2026/03/09/2026-governor...

Getting the Right Response When Every Crisis Is Different: 4 States Share Lessons on Building Coordinated Crisis Systems - CSG Justice Center New Jersey, Utah, Virginia, and Washington discuss their different "Aligning Health and Safety" approaches and some of the challenges they’ve experienced. 

As part of the CSG Justice Center Aligning Health and Safety initiative, four states convened to discuss approaches to crisis response and integration between 911 and 988.

https://ow.ly/kYSy50YlpPv

A recent CSG South webinar explored the legal frameworks shaping AI use in state government, potential liability risks, procurement considerations and practical mitigation strategies.

www.csg.org/2026/02/17/ai-and-emergi...

CSG Midwest brings Under the Dome programming on property tax policy to South Dakota - The Council of State Governments What options are available for states to provide property tax relief? What policies have been enacted or are being considered in the region’s legislatures? Those questions and more were the subject of informational sessions held for South Dakota legislators in early February.

As part of its Under the Dome program, CSG Midwest partnered with a bipartisan group of legislators in South Dakota to discuss tax policies.

www.csg.org/2026/02/09/csg-midwest-b...

Fair Chance Licensing Solutions - CSG Justice Center An innovative framework for states to implement fair chance licensing laws.

New from the CSGJC: The Fair Chance Framework outlines practical steps states can take to implement "fair chance licensing" laws to remove employment barriers after incarceration.

csgjusticecenter.org/projects/fair-chance-lic...

Support with Data and Collaboration - The Council of State Governments Cam Ward draws on decades of public service to show why justice works best when leaders, data and systems collaborate. As director of the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles, he highlights how the CSG Justice Center provides trusted guidance and practical strategies that turn evidence into action — helping states reduce recidivism, strengthen reentry systems, and build safer, healthier communities.

Drawing on his experience as a state representative, senator and now as director of the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles, Cam Ward discusses the future of data-informed justice and its impact on stronger communities.

www.csg.org/2026/01/07/support-with-...

Serving the states, rain, shine or snow. ❄️🏛️

In today’s increasingly complex political environment, effective governance depends on collaboration across all levels of government. Jamal Nelson, CSG national director of federal affairs, discusses the role of CSG in Washington, D.C. https://www.csg.org/2026/01/06/capitol-to-capitol/

Youth Safety Playbook for States - CSG Justice Center Research-driven strategies for states to prevent violence, expand opportunity, and reduce justice system involvement for youth

New from @CSGJC: The Youth Safety Playbook for States outlines strategies to best practices to improve public safety and other outcomes for youth.

Learn more: csgjusticecenter.org/publications/youth-juven...

News and Highlights - Reentry2030 The Latest From Reentry 2030 States 25 Reentry Wins in 2025: How States Are Removing Barriers to Reentry Success  January 2026 Last year tested the resilience of reentry systems nationwide. Amid budget cuts, staffing shortages, and growing service demands, partners across the 7 states in our Reentry 2030 initiative stayed focused on whole-of-government solutions that reduce barriers to reentry success for people leaving incarceration.   Their persistence and cross-system coordination turned a challenging year into one marked […]

The CSG Justice Center highlights 25 wins from 2025 that highlight collaboration and innovation across the Reentry 2030 network.

https://reentry2030.org/news-and-events/#2025-wins

The Quiet Courage of Public Service - The Council of State Governments As we mark America’s 250th anniversary in 2026, CSG is proud to celebrate not only our nation’s founding ideals but the people who bring those ideals to life every day in state capitols and communitie...

"As we mark America’s 250th anniversary in 2026, CSG is proud to celebrate not only our nation’s founding ideals but the people who bring those ideals to life every day in state capitols and communities across the country." — David Adkins, CSG executive director/CEO

www.csg.org/2026/01/09/t...

Capitol Ideas Email Signup - The Council of State Governments Your Front Row Seat to State Policy

📩 Your front row seat to state news in 2026.

Get the latest news, analysis and insights from The Council of State Governments from the Capitol Ideas newsletter.
https://www.csg.org/capitol-ideas-email-signup/

Newly Released CSG 50-State Scan Explores Public Health Policy - The Council of State Governments The fourth installment of the nonpartisan CSG 50-State Scan research series, “Building Healthy Communities, Strengthening States: How States are Meeting Today's Public Health Challenges," is a strategic overview of the public health landscape that provides state and territorial officials with actionable insights and emerging trends to guide effective policy decisions.

The latest CSG 50-State Scan is here. “Building Healthy Communities, Strengthening States: How States are Meeting Today's Public Health Challenges" provides an overview of state actions and emerging trends on public health issues throughout the country.

https://ow.ly/zLIM50XSHaM

The CSG Shared State Legislation program (SSL) is a member-driven service, producing an annual compendium of some of the states’ most innovative bills for lawmakers looking to craft legislation in those policy areas.

www.csg.org/2025/11/25/shared-state-...

The latest CSG 50-State Scan Report is now available! This report provides an in-depth analysis of state legislation aimed at supporting the development and innovation of the AI sector, offering new insights for lawmakers and policy professionals.

www.csg.org/2025/05/21/c...

Data Centers in the South: Trends, Energy Use, and Policy Impacts - The Council of State Governments CSG South Senior Policy Analyst Tom Opdyke delivered a virtual presentation, “Data Centers: Energy Projections and Economic Drivers in the South,” covering the number of data centers across the region, their energy use, state tax incentives, and recent legislative actions shaping the industry.

The southern regions hosts around 42% of the 4,149 facilities nationwide. CSG South breaks down their energy use, state tax incentives, and recent legislative actions shaping the industry.

www.csg.org/2025/11/12/data-centers-...

Doxing: State Protections Against Digital Threats - The Council of State Governments Public servants make many sacrifices to serve their communities. Campaigns can strain their personal finances, while the heightened visibility of public life can take a toll on their mental health. Increasingly, however, state officials must weigh their desire to serve against the growing threats to their personal safety — like doxxing, which is when personal information is maliciously posted online — an unfortunate calculation that is reshaping their decision to hold public office.

Since the early 2000s, 54 bills have been enacted in 19 states to protect public officials from doxing.

www.csg.org/2025/10/31/doxing-state-...

Save the dates: Fall webinar series for region’s policy leaders begins Nov. 13 - The Council of State Governments CSG Midwest is offering a series of web-based learning opportunities designed for legislators, legislative staff and other policy leaders. These webinars kick off on Nov. 13 with a look at policy options to improve school safety and conclude on Dec. 17 with a focus on farm succession planning and the impacts of state laws and programs.

Over the next month, CSG Midwest is offering a series of web-based learning opportunities designed for legislators, legislative staff and other policy leaders.

www.csg.org/2025/11/05/save-the-date...

Question of the Month, November - The Council of State Governments How do policy officer training requirements differ across southern states? Each state’s Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) board or an equivalent accreditation body governs police officer training and certification requirements for all police agencies, including state troopers, city/county police departments, Sheriff’s Offices, and special police.

New from CSG South: A look at the recent push to increase basic training requirements for police officers in an attempt to help officers better interpret and effectively respond to the public’s needs.

www.csg.org/2025/11/04/question-of-t...

Rethinking Artificial Intelligence in Education - The Council of State Governments Artificial intelligence could transform education more than any previous technology—but only if schools proactively engage with it, said Jason Neiffer, Executive Director of the Montana Digital Academy and creator of the nation’s first AI help desk for educators.

Executive Director of the Montana Digital Academy Jason Neiffer's central message to policymakers: Don’t ignore AI.

www.csg.org/2025/10/27/rethinking-ar...

In 2024, nationwide losses from cryptocurrency fraud jumped 66%, up to $9.3 billion, and the total number of complaints more than doubled, to nearly 150,000, according to the FBI. More from CSG Midwest:

https://ow.ly/ZVV950Xh07P

According to the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC), annual energy demand is estimated to grow 20.4% from 2025 to 2034. This increase is largely driven by data centers, large-scale manufacturing facilities and cryptocurrency mining.

https://ow.ly/Y6G950XgZZK

National Commission - CSG Justice Center Expanding First Response Commission The national Expanding First Response Commission launched in February 2023 with 21 leaders from across the...

Community responder programs are reshaping how we respond to behavioral health crises. Check out the CSG Justice Center #ExpandingFirstResponse brief series — built on insights from a national commission of experts.

csgjusticecenter.org/publications/expanding-f...

Swatting: State Efforts to Prevent Political Violence - The Council of State Governments In recent years, false reports have been increasingly used to target, intimidate or harm public officials. Since 2013, 15 states have enacted legislation to expand the scope of existing false reportin...

In recent years, false reports have been increasingly used to target, intimidate or harm public officials, otherwise known as "swatting." Many states are taking action to establish clear frameworks for legal recourse.

www.csg.org/2025/10/20/s...

Stepping Up Readiness Toolkit - CSG Justice Center Counties should use this toolkit to consider their readiness as pre-work to revisit, grow, or implement any initiative, including Stepping Up.

The new Readiness Toolkit from the CSG Justice Center and OMNI Institute helps counties determine readiness to implement a #SteppingUp initiative while building strong community partnerships.

csgjusticecenter.org/publications...

From Lesson Plans to Building Plans: Addressing the School Workforce Shortage Through Housing  - CSG South From Lesson Plans to Building Plans: Addressing the School Workforce Shortage Through Housing took place in... Read More

The first CSG South Policy Masterclass of the 2025 series brought state leaders and staff to Bentonville, Arkansas, to examine how affordable housing affects teacher recruitment and retention.

csgsouth.org/from-lesson-...

How New Jersey’s AI assistant saves the state time and money Chief Innovation Officer Dave Cole said the cost is about $1 per user, per month, and has already helped employees save hours of time by helping with various tasks.

New Jersey is being recognized as a leading state for AI adoption after the recent launch of 'NJ AI Assistant', a generative AI-powered platform for state employees that is being hailed for saving time and money.

www.route-fifty.com/artificial-i...

Did you know that @csgovts.bsky.social has compiled a list of community and behavioral health trends? Here’s how NH shows up in the stats 📊📈

projects.csgjusticecenter.org/justice-data... #NHPolitics

Home - Supervision Violations and Their Impact on Incarceration Supervision was meant to help people stay out of prison, but too often it sends them back for breaking rules, not laws.

In 2023, 1 in 5 people in state prison were there for a supervision violation—often for missing appointments, not breaking laws.

Supervision was meant to support rehabilitation, but it’s fueling incarceration instead. @csgovts.bsky.social breaks down the data: buff.ly/4ZyKrY4

Ending the Call: How States are Disconnecting Students from Cellphones to Reconnect with Learning - The Council of State Governments Across the nation, legislators are taking steps to reduce the usage of cellphones and other electronic devices in schools. States are seeing increased

According to @pewresearch.org, 74% of U.S. adults say they support banning middle and high school students from using cellphones during class. We discussed approaches to statewide cell phone bans with Louisiana Sen. Beth Mizell and the South Carolina Board of Education.

www.csg.org/2024/10/16/e...