Timothy J. Murray is the Executive Director of PJI. He has worked as a criminal justice practitioner at the local, state and federal levels for 40 years. His extensive pretrial justice experience includes management and executive positions with the pretrial services systems in Washington, D.C., and Miami-Dade County, Fla. While in Miami, he was the principal architect and administrator of the nation's first drug court. He went on to serve with the U.S. Department of Justice as first director of the Drug ​Court Program Office.
Following that appointment, Tim held the positions of Director of Policy and Planning and Director of Program Development at the Bureau of Justice Assistance. He completed his federal service as part of the start-up team for the Transportation Security Administration, now part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He was selected as PJI's Executive Director in 2006. He has provided technical assistance to hundreds of programs and organizations, nationally and internationally. He is a lifetime member of the National Association of Pretrial Services Agencies and is the proud recipient of the Association's most prestigious honor, the Ennis J. Olgiati Award. He also serves as the Executive Director for the Institute for Justice Planning, a subsidiary of PJI providing planning support to jurisdictions engaged in criminal justice system reform. Email him at tim@pretrial.org.
Cherise Fanno Burdeen is the Chief Operating Officer for PJI.
Ms. Burdeen earned her Masters in Criminal Justice from Indiana University and began her career with the research office of the Department of Justice. After federal service that included time with the Department of Homeland Security, Ms. Burdeen joined PJI in 2006. Since then, Ms. Burdeen has developed innovative strategies to raise awareness of pretrial justice issues, worked with a broad constituency of criminal justice stakeholder groups, provided technical assistance and training on policy reforms, and engaged in communications and media efforts. She has extensive experience with strategic planning, initiative management, and communications efforts across the criminal justice system. She also serves as the COO for the Institute for Justice Planning, a subsidiary of PJI providing planning support to jurisdictions engaged in criminal justice system reform. Email her at cherise@pretrial.org.
John Clark serves as a senior project associate for PJI. He has worked closely with officials in hundreds of jurisdictions to gain support for pretrial reforms and implement recommended changes. He has extensive experience in conducting system assessments, gathering and analyzing data, and presenting findings both orally and in writing. His expertise includes identifying causes of jail crowding, developing pretrial risk assessment instruments, identifying alternatives to detention, program development and drug testing. Prior to joining PJI in 1987, John worked at the D.C. Pretrial Services Agency for eight years as an interviewer, supervision officer and unit supervisor. He is a NAPSA certified pretrial services professional. He is a lifetime member of the National Association of Pretrial Services Agencies and is the proud recipient of the Association's most prestigious honor, the Ennis J. Olgiati Award. He has written more publications about pretrial justice than anyone in the world. Email him at john@pretrial.org.
Michael R. Jones serves as a senior project associate for PJI, staffing PJI's Colorado office. Mike assists states and local jurisdictions in understanding and implementing more legal and empirically-based pretrial policies and practices by providing technical assistance, writing publications, and designing strategic initiatives. He has extensive criminal justice experience both within Colorado and nationally through his work as a private consultant to the National Institute of Corrections. Prior to joining PJI, Mike worked as the Criminal Justice Planning Manager for Jefferson County, Colorado, where he and his team of criminal justice planners worked for the local criminal justice coordinating committee. Mike has a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. Email him at mike@pretrial.org.
Stephanie Garbo project manager, began working for PJI in January 2008. She received her Bachelor of Arts in psychology and justice studies and Master of Arts in justice studies from the University of New Hampshire. While attending UNH she worked as a graduate intern for the New Hampshire Youth Development Center, concentrating on the NH implementation of the Annie E. Casey Foundation's JDAI program. She was an adjunct instructor of psychology at Westwood College. At PJI Stephanie is involved with multiple projects, but primarily runs www.jdaihelpdesk.org, the Help Desk and on-line technical assistance provider for the Annie E. Casey Foundation's initiative. She is a member of the Alpha Phi Sigma National Criminal Justice Honor Society and is a NAPSA certified pretrial services professional. Email her at stephanie@pretrial.org.
Eric Florenz joined PJI in March 2012 as a research fellow. He primarily focuses his efforts on data-driven analysis regarding access to representation during bail hearings in Kentucky. His interest lies in determining how justice varies based on one's race and access to counsel. Eric recently graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he studied Economics and Business. His research projects typically dealt with statistical analysis of inequality through hypothesis testing of panel data. Before coming to PJI, he worked as a paralegal for The Equal Justice Initiative, a nonprofit law firm in Alabama that provides legal representation to indigent defendants and prisoners who have been denied fair and just treatment. His work with them involved statistical analysis of prison abuses, comparison of juvenile sentencing statutes, and client intake. He also published material that visually represented the evolution of judicial override in Alabama, a mechanism that allows judges to overrule the jury's proposed sentence in capital cases. Email him at eric@pretrial.org.
Bryan Taylor joined PJI in March 2012 as a project associate. He works on compiling information and researching pretrial best practices and reform. He received his Master's in Public Policy from Brigham Young University with an emphasis in crime and corrections policy. He has been working closely with leadership in Utah County to implement a pretrial services program by creating an implementation plan and securing funding for the project. He was also involved in helping the American Bar Association Pretrial Release Task Force produce material to help jurisdictions reform pretrial practices. In addition to pretrial justice policy, he has published research on the effectiveness of a drug outpatient program in the Utah County Jail. Email him at bryan@pretrial.org.