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Our Story
Now in its 59th year, the International Community
Justice Association was formed in 1964 when a
small group of halfway house operators from
across the United States and Canada met in
Chicago and formed the International Halfway
House Association(IHHA).
With the goal of professionalizing the field and forging an international network of community-based providers who could share knowledge about program operations and best practices, the leaders of the IHHA believed halfway house programs could play an important role helping people transition from prison back into the social and economic life of their communities.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the IHHA expanded its membership and influence against the backdrop of rising crime, the pervasive belief that rehabilitative programs did not work, and the widespread adoption of draconian drug laws, aggressive policing, and mandatory sentencing that set the stage for what would come to be called “mass incarceration” or the “new Jim Crow.” The IHHA became one of the only professional communities during the “get tough on crime” era that stayed wedded to the idea of rehabilitation engaging in advocacy efforts to expand community-based programming and supports as an alternative to investments in jails and prisons.
In 1989 the IHHE transitioned into the International Association of Residential and Community Alternatives (IARCA) during its STIGMA conference in London in recognition of the fact that community-based programming for justice system-involved individuals had both expanded and diversified beyond the halfway house model. Through the STIGMA conferences, the association expanded is influence in the United Kingdom, Denmark, and other European countries, which was reflected on the association board of directors at the time.
After the introduction of the risk-need-responsivity model of correctional and behavioral rehabilitation in Canada in the early 1990s, the association reorganized again as the International Community Corrections Association (ICCA) in 1995. With the expressed purpose of “doing what works” and promoting the implementation of evidence-based practices, the ICCA focused its efforts on the integration of research, policy, and practice to reduce recidivism through effectively administered community programs and services for more than 25-years.
In January of 2022, the association transitioned into its current form as the International Community Justice Association (ICJA) with a vision to change the public perception of justice system-involved individuals, end the overuse of incarceration and correctional supervision, and achieve a more just society. With the overarching goal of helping communities develop a continuum of integrated services and supports that not only provide effective alternatives to incarceration, but also improve public health and safety, the ICJA continues to represent a deep network of emerging and established community-based organizations, policy advocates, researchers, and governmental agencies and officials.
Association Timeline
1964: International Halfway House Association (IHHA)
1989: International Association of Residential Community Alternatives (IARCA)
1995: International Community Corrections Association (ICCA)
2022: International Community Justice Association (ICJA)
Welcome to ICJA!
ICJA Affiliations
The American Correctional Association (ACA)
The United Nations Alliance of Non-Governmental Organizations in Criminal Justice
The American Probation and Parole Association
International Corrections and Prison Association
The National Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Coalition
Past Presidents
Current Phil Nunes
2021-2023 Elisa Lopez-Canseco
2018-2020 Steve Woolworth
2017-2018 Ellen Donnarumma
2015-2017 Anne Connell-Freund
2013-2015 Phil Nunes
2011-2013 Sonya Spencer
2009-2011 Kevin Downey
2007-2009 Jane O'Shaughnessy
2005-2007 Terry Marshall
2003-2005 Denise Robinson
2001-2003 Donald G. Evans
1999-2001 S. Anne Walker
1997-1999 Rick Billak
1995-1997 John Larivee
1995-1997 John Larivee
1992-1995 James Lawrence
1989-1992 Neil Tilow
1987-1989 Marvin Wiebe
1985-1987 James A. Hemm
1983-1985 Arthur R. McDonald
1981-1983 J. Bryan Riley
1979-1981 Tom H. Christensen
1978-1979 Martin E. Frank
1976-1978 E.B. Henderson III
1974-1976 Norman F. Chamberlain
1972-1974 Thomas J. Mangogna
1971-1972 Max D. Weger
1969-1971 J.M. McCartt
1968-1969 Elwood O. Toft
1966-1968 Edward C. Boyle
1965-1966 T. Neil Libby
1964-1965 Brother DePaul