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Khalil A. Cumberbatch

Khalil A. Cumberbatch

Khalil A. Cumberbatch is director of strategic partnerships at the Council on Criminal Justice.

Cumberbatch is a nationally recognized, formerly incarcerated advocate for criminal justice and deportation policy reform. Previously, he served as chief ctrategist at New Yorkers United for Justice and as associate vice president of policy at the Fortune Society. Pardoned by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2014, Cumberbatch earned a master's degree in social work from CUNY Lehman College, where he was awarded the Urban Justice Award for his work with underserved and marginalized communities. He is also a lecturer at Columbia University.

Cumberbatch can be reached at khalil@counciloncj.org and on X at @KhaCumberbatch.

Fearing political backlash, governors use their clemency powers far less than they once did. But it’s a powerful tool for addressing injustice.
Attracting more people with four-year degrees — and more women — into policing is likely to produce better outcomes. Among other things, they are less likely to draw complaints and use force.
Lawmakers in some states are pushing to make it harder for defendants to avoid pretrial detention. There are better ways to protect public safety that don’t conflict with the presumption of innocence.
Our prisons don’t have enough staffers to protect inmates or themselves. Better pay, benefits and working conditions are needed, and there are other effective strategies.