The Arc - Center for Justice Innovation

Featured Update

Voices of Justice: Multiple Pathways to Healing from Intimate Partner Violence

A conversation with Rebecca Thomforde on why addressing intimate partner violence is needed for community justice, how responses have shifted over the past three decades, and what the future of this work looks like.

Gene A. Johnson, Jr. Associate Director, Supervised Release Program, Center for Justice Innovation

This Relationship Education Program Begins with Awareness

What seven years of Tactics & Choices taught us, and why the program has a new name.

Black and white image of judge sitting on the stand on the computer with Midtown Community Court in the background

30 Years of Building Community Justice

Exploring key milestones over three decades of building strong communities rooted in safety and justice.

A woman sits in an office in conversation with a man seated beside her desk; on top of the desk is a computer and a sign that says

How AI Highlights the Need for Better Mental Health Care

Our new brief outlines how concerns about AI and mental health treatment shed light on the need for accessible, high-quality care.

A row of pedicabs -- bicycle-drawn carriages -- line New York City's Central Park on a bright spring day

Does NYC’s Pedicab Problem Hold the Key to Justice Reform?

What New York City’s “pedicab problem” can teach us about delivering justice in today’s world.

All Updates

Access to Justice

Building Justice in the Court System

Housing Justice

Investing in Communities

People-Centered Responses

Reducing Harm and Violence

Women, Girls, and Gender Justice

169 Results

People-Centered Responses

Clear All

A woman sits smiling at desk next to man leaning forward in his chair; behind her, a green poster reads

The Justice System Shouldn’t Be a Revolving Door. Here’s How to Prevent That.

These resources give practitioners and reformers new strategies to break cycles of rearrest and create a justice system that leaves people better off.

Alex Genty-Waksberg speaking in restorative justice circle

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.

Will Harrison and Lucy Taylor as Jacob Dunne and his mother in Manhattan Theatre Club's

What Broadway Show “Punch” Reveals About Restorative Justice

The play, based on a remarkable true story of redemption after a one-punch manslaughter, illustrates how restorative justice can help people move forward after serious harm.

Restorative Justice: Myth versus Reality

Four myths about restorative justice and what they get wrong.

Seven people from our restorative justice team sit in a circle around a tapestry with various objects and trinkets.

How Restorative Justice Circles Help People Heal

Connection and understanding are basic human needs. In the wake of harm and conflict, restorative justice circles bring those needs back into focus.

Winner of the 2025 Inside Literary Prize is Chain-Gang All-Stars by by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah.

2025 Inside Literary Prize Awarded to Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

The second annual Prize, judged by 300 incarcerated readers across 15 prisons, was awarded at a ceremony at The New York Public Library.

“It’s About Genuine Love”: How Peer Mentorship Prevents Gun Violence

Peers who’ve been down a similar road can show young people that they don’t have to change who they are to reimagine their futures.

A woman sits in beige attire with a book on her lap discussing in a circle with other women and a man with a T-shirt that reads

Inside a Judging Session for the Book Award Led by Incarcerated People

In New Jersey's Edna Mahan Correctional Facility, a group of sixteen women gathered to discuss four shortlisted books for the Inside Literary Prize—the first book award in the US judged exclusively by incarcerated readers.

Two dogs jump over a turf mound at the Castle Hill Houses' new dog park in the Bronx.

Put Your Paws Together! Castle Hill Community Celebrates New Dog Park

Residents of the Castle Hill Houses in the Bronx took the lead on the first-ever dog park on a NYC public housing campus.

Innovating from the Ground Up

Our newly launched Innovation Fund invites our staff working directly with the communities we serve to pitch new ideas for creative ways to meet the needs they see every day.

Women and men having a discussion around a semi-circle in carpeted room at Bronx Community Solutions

Four Ways to Prevent Burnout and Vicarious Trauma for Practitioners

Burnout and vicarious trauma can take a serious toll on people who devote their lives to supporting others. Here's how we can help change that.

Reckoning with Trauma in Court

What would it look like for courts to respond to trauma with care and compassion?