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Justice Reform

Returning Citizens.

In 2018, 2.2 million Americans were incarcerated, costing the US government $80 billion. The crisis of mass incarceration has led to an unprecedented bipartisan consensus for criminal justice reform at the federal level. Now states are changing their laws to favor diversion and restoration. While promising, the promise of these reforms will only be fulfilled with innovative programs to help ex-felons return to communities as healthy citizens. Sagamore’s justice reform portfolio advances smarter policies and best practices for reentry.

As a think tank, ideas are our business. Sagamore built on this foundation by forming an expert network of fellows providing independent and innovative research and analysis to public and private sector leaders.

More God Less Crime

Through years of research, criminologist Byron Johnson has uncovered strong evidence that religion can be a powerful antidote to crime, but why is it that this “faith factor” is rarely included in traditional conversations about prisoner rehabilitation? In his new release More God, Less Crime, Johnson explores this discrepancy and provides readers with practical insights that could transform the effectiveness of our current criminal justice system.
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Reforming Criminal Justice in Indiana

Pursuant to HEA 1006 (2014), the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute is required annually to gather data and analyze the impact of Indiana’s criminal code reform on local units of government, the Department of Correction, and the judicial center. In early 2015, the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute commissioned the Sagamore Institute to conduct the initial report, as well as the second report in 2016.
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Fellows & Partners

We engage in applied research—working alongside innovative practitioners, learning from them, and measuring the impact of ideas and theories put into practice.

Prison Entrepreneurship Program

The Prison Entrepreneurship Program (PEP) transforms the lives of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated men through their In-Prison Leadership Academy and post-release services and support. Their vision is to expand a community of accountability and encouragement until every inmate who is truly committed to change has the choice and the chance to reboot his life.
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Second Chance 4 Youth

Second Chance 4 Youth is a national mentoring program dedicated to helping at-risk and incarcerated youth experience the American Dream, founded by Burgess Owens, U.S. Representative and former All-Pro NFL Super Bowl Champion.
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One Heart Project

One Heart Project’s mission is to rescue, restore and rehabilitate incarcerated youth through an integrated strategy of programming, services, and social enterprise. Their goal is to create an innovative and collaborative solution that will change the current approach to juvenile justice and transform individual lives through character building, skill acquisition, and resource equipping.
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Constructing Our Future

Constructing Our Future provides a pathway for eligible members at Indiana Women’s Prison back into private society with certified construction skills. The program, conceived and created by inmates during a structured study of public policy, calls for abandoned homes in the City of Indianapolis to be used for hands-on learning, and in turn, the refurbished real estate becomes affordable housing.
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We believe good business creates a better society. Sagamore operates an impact investing platform called Commonwealth to offer financial services to expand economic opportunity.

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