Why Supporting Families Is Crucial to Strong Communities
For many families, contact with the legal system comes after years of struggling to meet basic needs. When we invest in solutions that respond to those needs both inside and outside of the courts, we pave the way for safer, stronger communities.
Over the past decade, the Strong Starts Court Initiative has worked to transform the family court process to focus on strengthening parents’ relationships with their babies.
What Do Restorative Responses to Domestic Violence Look Like?
A practitioner shares his experience with Healing Connections, a restorative accountability group for people who have caused harm in their relationships.
Innovation and Tradition: A Conversation with Our Tribal Justice Exchange Team
A Q&A with our Tribal Justice Exchange team on respecting tribal sovereignty, the cultural wisdom behind tribal justice, and what they're doing to uplift Native youth.
Midtown Community Court Celebrates 30 Years of Justice in NYC with Renaming to the “Midtown Community Justice Center”
This name change to Midtown Community Justice Center reflects the institution's holistic and community-based approach to delivering justice to New Yorkers.
2023 marks the 30th anniversary of our Midtown Community Court, which started as an experiment in a new, more human approach to justice. Today, that approach hasn’t just survived: it has even outgrown the walls of the courthouse.
“Hiding in Plain Sight”: The Untapped Power of Public Defense
Sixty years after Gideon v. Wainwright, in which the Supreme Court ruled that anyone facing the threat of incarceration is entitled to a lawyer regardless of their ability to pay, the right to counsel remains an unfulfilled promise for many. What would change if everyone, no matter their income, got the minimum that all people deserve: someone with the time, resources, and training to defend them effectively in court?
The Human Cost: Five Podcast Episodes on Rikers Island
With the launch of the Lippman Commission 2.0, New York City has taken a decisive step towards closing Rikers Island. Much is at stake, first and foremost the lives of the people detained in the jail complex. In these five episodes of our New Thinking podcast, we take a closer look at the human cost of Rikers through the testimony of advocates, researchers, and—most importantly—those who have experienced the harms of Rikers Island firsthand.
From Pilot to Paradigm Shift: The Story of Project Reset
From a small pilot program to a citywide model for reform, Project Reset’s growth stands as a powerful example of how modest experiments can turn into lasting changes.
A Supreme Court Decision Keeps Children in Their Communities
Native children navigating the child welfare system are uniquely vulnerable. Read about the recent Supreme Court decision that protects their right to stay connected to their families and communities—and the smaller, no less inspiring efforts to support them on the ground.
Inclusive, Community-Led Research: What Is Participatory Action Research?
Too often, research in the justice field is divorced from the real experiences and needs of the people being studied. Participatory action research flips the script, giving communities the chance to tell their own stories—and to change them.
Mental Health and Criminal Justice in Brooklyn: In Conversation with Judge Matthew J. D’Emic
For over 20 years, the Brooklyn Mental Health Court has been working to keep people with severe mental illnesses out of jail and in treatment. Hear from Judge Matthew J. D'Emic, who has presided over the court since its inception, on the importance of this work.
