Project Summary: Issues in Criminal Justice Most of the national focus on criminal justice is on the federal criminal justice system. However, an overwhelming majority of all offenders are arrested, convicted and incarcerated at the state or local levels. As such, understanding the reality of criminal justice policies and practices at your local level are immediately more pertinent than understanding those at the federal level. Furthermore, the challenges at the local level are usually more consequential and impactful to the communities they serve.