Nehali Vishwanath

Nehali Vishwanath is a Senior Policy Analyst at the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (NICJR). In this role, she authors comprehensive reports, drives strategic initiatives, and conducts data analysis to advance community-based interventions and policies for criminal justice reform and violence reduction. Nehali leads the Youth Data and Intervention Initiative, an innovative project focused on identifying and addressing risk factors for future gun violence among youth by centering the voices of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals. She also supports the National Offices of Violence Prevention Network, a collaboration of nearly 80 government agencies across the United States working to strengthen and scale effective violence reduction strategies. Nehali is passionate about shaping evidence-based policies that address the underlying social determinants of health contributing to violence in vulnerable communities.

The National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (NICJR) is a fast-growing nonprofit organization working to transform the juvenile and criminal justice systems, reduce incarceration and violence, improve the outcomes of system-involved individuals, and increase the capacity and expertise of the organizations that serve these individuals. The organization provides technical assistance, consulting, research, organizational development, and advocacy in the fields of juvenile and criminal justice, youth development, and violence prevention. NICJR works with an array of entities, including government agencies, nonprofits, and philanthropic foundations. Through advocacy for fairer criminal justice practices and innovative approaches to violence prevention across numerous jurisdictions, NICJR seeks to ultimately implement and support lasting change across the U.S