Learning from Failure News Archive

Written by Judge Jonathan Lippmann, this opinion piece details some of the crises happening on Rikers Island and practical steps that could be taken to address them. With links to our Bail Reform at One Year report & our Closing Rikers Roadmap, the recommendations outlined would not only advance safety, fairness, and justice, but also reduce the jail population by at least 2,000 people.

An interview profile of Sarah Reckess, the director of our Upstate New York office: "We try to knock down silos, to challenge agencies and community leaders to think in new ways...to not be afraid of failure."

We have long been committed to using data to tell us what works (and what doesn't) when it comes to our reform work. As our director, Greg Berman, explains in this profile of nonprofits' use of data from Crain's New York Business: "I reject the kind of pass-fail analysis where something is a massive success or total failure... If you dig into the data, there's always something you can learn."

Our director, Greg Berman, argues the fight to transform the American justice system will not be won "from the offices of our foundations, elected officials, or editorial boards." Along with macro reform ideas, look for micro changes in practice with far-reaching implications.

Criminal Justice magazine excerpts a chapter from Trial and Error in Criminal Justice Reform in its Summer 2011 issue.  The article focuses on the St. Louis Consent to Search program, a promising police initiative that struggled to sustain its initial success.

The Center for Court Innovation has placed op-eds about failure in the National Law Journal, Chronicle of Philanthropy, Philadelphia Inquirer, the Guardian (UK) and the Crime Report.