Lisel Petis

Breaking free from old patterns requires fresh perspectives, and courage to embrace them. Calling balls & strikes. Policy Dir. @RSI **Opinions are my own**

[Lisel Petis @LiselPetis]

Congress is moving to tie police funding to state bail policy. That approach ignores federalism, undermines local decision making, and risks weakening public safety rather than strengthening it.

@RSI

https://t.co/tejRbUStiR

[Logan Seacrest @LoganSeacrest]

Last year, @IamAcop_Jill and I released a paper on how distributed digital surveillance will impact crime.

The predictions we made are already coming true.

[Sarah Anderson @smayranderson]

I was fortunate enough this week to swing by Baltimore, MD and catch up with a number of our coalition friends that @RSI works closely with on criminal record sealing and expungement. So grateful for these partnerships!
Cc: @CFUF_Baltimore @Out4JusticeOrg @MarylandOPD @ubalt_ccjr

[R Street Institute @RSI]

Policy ideas only matter when they move beyond the page.

At R Street, that is already happening. Our scholars are shaping conversations on the issues in front of lawmakers, staff, regulators, and civic leaders right now, from technology and energy to criminal justice, governance, and public health.

The work is not sitting on a shelf. It is reaching the people making decisions, informing debate, and helping turn serious research into real-world impact.

That is the value of investing in ideas that actually travel.

@realPOTUS2040 @AdamThierer @courtneyatlas @LoganSeacrest

[Udi Ofer @udiofer_]

Great framing by @LiselPetis: "Each movement revealed something important. One reminded us why the system exists...another exposed the real costs of the system...But at times, well-intentioned desires...pushed proposed solutions toward extremes" https://t.co/5T4IyKbGGi

[Sarah Anderson @smayranderson]

I'm in Burlington, #Vermont this week with @NCSLorg for their meeting, "Time Served: Assessing Parole and Prison Release." Learn about what we are covering ⬇️

[Lisel Petis @LiselPetis]

The justice system should be smaller where it infringes on fundamental liberties, stronger when public safety is at risk, fairer if there are clear disparate applications, and supported by data to ensure better outcomes.

@RSI

https://t.co/Aio2KAPynK

[Lisel Petis @LiselPetis]

@johnarnold @jenniferdoleac I figured I might have a chance if I just stuck to "I work on policy for a think tank" and largely left out what type of policy or my background in prosecution....unless specifically asked. 🤭

[Kevin Ring @KevinARing]

More than 2 months have passed and the legislature is yet to act. I know some lawmakers are tempted to punt, but this is the job. The Court exercised restraint so that the people's elected representatives could fashion a new approach to 2nd degree murder. It's time to act.

[Sarah Anderson @smayranderson]

Spending some time this week and last in #Nashville, TN and #Burlington, VT meeting with stakeholders and legislators focused on the future of #criminaljustice policy in upcoming sessions. Thankful for the unique opportunities in two wonderfully different states! #TNleg #VTleg

[Lisel Petis @LiselPetis]

To understand why today’s crime and policy stances feel so fractured, it helps to look at the major criminal justice movements that brought us here.

@RSI

https://t.co/Aio2KAPynK

[Lisel Petis @LiselPetis]

@jenniferdoleac So jealous!

[R Street Institute @RSI]

Washington’s proposed court rule changes take an important step toward a more targeted pretrial system by recognizing that people should not be jailed or saddled with financial conditions simply because they are poor. Release decisions should be tied to actual public safety or flight risks, not imposed as a matter of routine.

🔗 Read the full comment by @LiselPetis here: https://t.co/M8tlOQrQlI

[Corie Whalen @CorieWhalen]

Interested in working with me at @RSI? We’re looking for someone with an editorial/communications background who is passionate about promoting free market, classically liberal public policy. If that sounds like you, take a look! ⬇️ https://t.co/mD1ssjZaTn

[R Street Institute @RSI]

When most people think about retail crime, they think shoplifting.

But organized retail crime goes much further, often moving stolen goods across state lines, through online marketplaces, and into larger criminal networks.

The House just passed CORCA with broad bipartisan support. Now the Senate should keep the momentum going.

[Sarah Anderson @smayranderson]

Check out my latest op-ed, where I argue instead of only asking whether another prison should close, California lawmakers should also be asking why the system continues to produce so much serious crime while solving so little of it. @RSI @StevenGreenhut

[John Koufos @JGKoufos]

Thank you to @NJBIZ - and everyone who supported me - for naming me a 2026 Health Care Hero in #PublicHealth.

Public Health and #PublicSafety are inseparable, and critical to economic prosperity - good health is good for public safety and builds stronger communities.

It has been a busy year so far:

✅ Helping businesses and stakeholders navigate and optimize upcoming Medicaid and social service work requirements.

✅ Scaling "Healthy Prisons, Healthy Communities" with @HHSGov because better health outcomes lead to better #PublicSafety outcomes - and stronger communities. Big thanks to @thejusttrust for believing in this project, and @CLALeadership for partnering with us.

✅ Implementing the Dietary Guidelines for American in prisons and beyond, because healthy eating is the foundation of strong health.

✅ Helping businesses develop #HealthIT + #SDoH management as part of their capture strategy.

✅ Protecting farms and farmers with @USDA to ensure access to real food.

✅ Navigating the 1115 landscape to create true coordinated care.

And the year is only half over!

https://t.co/TZPcx42lbK

[R Street Institute @RSI]

In Wheeler County, Nebraska, there are zero lawyers.

For rural kids caught in the juvenile justice system, that can mean long drives, limited access to counsel, and fewer chances to get help early.

@LoganSeacrest explains why Nebraska lawmakers should expand tele-lawyer services to close the rural justice gap.

[Logan Seacrest @LoganSeacrest]

Remember three strike laws? Well Kansas just passed a two-strike law, this one targeting kids.

My @RSI colleague @smayranderson explains why it got vetoed, and how the override threatens both liberty and public safety at the same time.

[Lisel Petis @LiselPetis]

@AlexM2233 @jenniferdoleac Interesting you say "obvious conclusion" as I have such a different perspective than this.

[Lisel Petis @LiselPetis]

Murder also has been on a decline since 2021. Has anyone looked into a mutual cause for the decline?

[Ellen Barry @EllenBarryNYT]

Some good news: New research from Harvard Medical School has found that youth suicides were 11 percent lower than expected -- that's 4372 fewer deaths -- during the period after the rollout of the 988 hotline.

@LiuMichaelMD @vrpatel97 @AnupamBJena

https://t.co/zGOleFc3f9