The Arc

What started as part-time legal work as a brand new mom over 12 years ago has transformed into the role of program director for Sarah Reckess, who is leading and growing the Upstate New York office of the Center for Court Innovation. Based in Syracuse, Sarah’s team works within the court system and alongside communities throughout the Upstate New York region, from cities like Buffalo to rural communities east of Syracuse. 

People who are arrested for low-level charges across New York City can resolve their cases without ever stepping into a courtroom. 

Our annual report provides a snapshot of our ongoing efforts to promote reform and offer pathways out of the justice system.

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.

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.

Safety can't be produced by the justice system alone. The Brownsville Rapid Response Coalition was formed by neighborhood-based organizations in response to a mass shooting.

Every year, dangerous drivers kill more than 35,000 people in car crashes across the United States, and recently, the numbers have been increasing.

With your support of our team to spark change, we launched new programs, expanded others, and created new digital resources to reach further than ever.

This Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we are highlighting the work of our gender and family justice team which helps communities and courts respond to intimate partner violence.

“I’m sort of like a drug court mechanic trying to upgrade the field’s standard practices to help reduce potential harms.” Before joining the Center for Court Innovation three years ago, Dave Lucas was an addiction therapist in Toronto, Canada for nearly a decade. Dave has brought his experience working with drug court clients to the Center’s Technical Assistance team where he serves as a clinical advisor for treatment courts, working with judges, attorneys, law enforcement, and clinicians across the country to share substance use treatment best practices and foster health equity.

Each episode of New Thinking takes on pressing issues on justice system reform, talking to the people documenting the problems and those working to solve them. The fall season includes Bruce Western, Kim Foxx, and more.

Decades of data and experience point to the same truth: We cannot incarcerate ourselves to safety.