For the Media

A Loss of Faith in Forced Drug Treatment

The New York Times

"The question of mandated versus voluntary treatment is a distraction from the primary issue: There are simply not enough high-quality treatment slots for the number of New Yorkers who need them," writes our CEO Courtney Bryan in a letter to the editor of the New York Times, responding to a guest essay by Keith Humphreys about substance use and addiction treatment.

Restorative Justice Program Launched in Brooklyn

BKReader

A new pilot program in Brooklyn brings people together to learn how to use restorative justice in their own communities and strengthen their relationships with their neighbors. The initiative, launched by Council Member Susan Zhuang in partnership with the Center for Justice Innovation, will help bring restorative approaches to residents of Bensonhurst and surrounding areas.

PUNCH Will Offer Post-Show Conversations Following Select Performances

Broadway World

Based on a true story, “Punch” on Broadway offers a close-up look at restorative justice—an alternative approach to responding to harm and conflict that brings people on all sides of an incident into meaningful dialogue. At post-show discussions offered by the Manhattan Theatre Club, you can hear from people with firsthand experience, advocates, and experts on restorative justice, including speakers from the Center for Justice Innovation.

New Men Rising initiative trains gun violence interrupters on tackling domestic violence

Bronx Times

The Men Rising Initiative, recently launched by our RISE project, mobilizes men leading gun violence prevention work in New York City to take a stand against gender-based violence. At a launch event for the initiative, NYC Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams said, “I’m glad that we’re stepping in and saying that our Black and Brown girls, women, and gender-expansive people are worth protecting.”

People leaving prison can struggle to find housing. Montgomery County aims to tackle the issue

WYSO

To better address the housing needs of people returning from incarceration, Ohio’s Montgomery County has joined the Housing Justice Peer Network program, a partnership between NYU’s Housing Solutions Lab and the Center for Justice Innovation. The program will help communities across the country learn from each other’s efforts to break cycles of housing insecurity and justice involvement.

Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah has won the 2025 Inside Literary Prize

Literary Hub

“There is no question that this is the highest possible honor a book like this could ever receive,” said Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, the winning author of the 2025 Inside Literary Prize—a book award judged exclusively by incarcerated readers. At an award ceremony for the Prize, "Chain-Gang All-Stars" author Adjei-Brenyah acknowledged the incarcerated judges and all those in prison across the country.

Winner of the 2025 Inside Literary Prize Revealed

Kirkus

The winner of the Inside Literary Prize is here! After months of discussion and deliberation led by 300 incarcerated readers across six states and territories, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah received the first-of-its-kind award for his novel Chain-Gang All-Stars. Read more about the award and the winning book from the author, the Prize’s judges, and a Kirkus book review excerpt.

Crown Heights students march to end gun violence during annual rally

Brooklyn Paper

In their eighth annual walkout for Gun Violence Awareness Month, middle school students from Launch Expeditionary Learning Charter School in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, marched through the neighborhood to demand an end to gun violence. The students were joined by local anti-violence organizations including our Save Our Streets team, which defuses conflicts before they escalate and connects young people to support and opportunities.

At NYCHA’s first dog park, Bronx K-9 and human neighbors alike are making fast friends

Gothamist

The Castle Hill Houses’ new dog park is bringing residents and their canine companions together in the first-of-its-kind outdoor space on a NYCHA campus. Part of Green Space Connections, the project—which our Neighborhood Safety Initiatives team supported with the Public Housing Community Fund and the Design Trust for Public Space—brought residents together for a year-long design process. “It takes a dog park to get people together for them to talk and communicate,” said resident Jose Carrion.

New dog park opens at NYCHA’s Castle Hill campus

News12

Residents at the Castle Hill Houses in the Bronx celebrated a new dog park for their NYCHA campus with a barbeque, raffle, and ribbon-cutting ceremony. The dog park emerged from a collaborative, community-led design process with support from the Center, Castle Hill Resident Association, and the Design Trust for Public Space.

Housing Solutions Lab and the Center for Justice Innovation Launch 2025 Housing Justice Peer Network

The NYU Furman Center’s Housing Solutions Lab and the Center for Justice Innovation have selected eight communities to join the 2025 Housing Justice Peer Network—a 16-month-long program designed for housing and criminal justice agency leaders nationwide.

NYCHA’s Mitchel Houses celebrates 667 days without gun violence