For the Media

What Responsibility do Courts Bear for the Crisis at Rikers Island?

The New Yorker

Eric Lach for the New Yorker spends time in the courtroom at arraignment to understand some of the factors fueling the current crisis on Rikers Island. The article cites our research that identified a 2020 spike in judges setting bail and explores the alternatives that judges have to bail--like someone being released on their own recognizance or supervised release.

“6a” State Law Could Release People from Rikers

NY1

The "6a" portion of New York state law allows the release of some incarcerated people, those with less than a one-year sentence, into a work release program. "Inherently, jail sentences are not a public safety reducing practice," Mike Rempel, our director of jail reform says. "They tend to lead people to become homeless, lose their job, create trauma, which increases recidivism afterwards."

Crisis At Rikers: How NYC Judges Fueled An Increase In The City’s Jail Population

Gothamist

Citing our research, Gothamist looks at the role of pretrial decision-making in fueling the crisis on Rikers Island where the jail population has been rising steadily for months. “The research overwhelmingly indicates that releasing people reduces recidivism in the long run, and pre-trial detention increases it,” said Michael Rempel, our director of jail reform.

Putting the Community First in Planning for a Brooklyn Neighborhood’s Future

Pratt.edu

In their first semester, students from Pratt’s Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment (GCPE) worked with our Brownsville Community Justice Center to come up with youth-focused economic development on Belmont Avenue. The students learned about the systemic disinvestment in the community and developed a framework for investing in and keeping resources in Brownsville while empowering the community to drive its economic development.

New York Is Pushing Homeless People Off the Streets. Where Will They Go?

The New York Times

Expounding on the many challenges when addressing housing insecurity, this New York Times article features the work of Community First, an initiative of our Midtown Community Court. The goal of Community First is to build trust with homeless populations in order to get them into longer-term housing and support. As program director Lauren Curatolo states, “We want to support you so that you eventually want to have a bed in a space.”

Rocket Science: Courtney Bryan

Small Planet

Small Planet's Q&A with Courtney Bryan, the executive director for the Center for Court Innovation.

How Should We Meet? And Who Decides?

The New York Times

In Priya Parker's essay, the author of "The Art of the Gathering", the Red Hook Community Justice Center is cited as an early example of a place that rethought how meetings work and serves as an inspiration for the current discussion about how workplaces can rethink the when, who, and how of meetings.

The Reasons for Youth Gun Use

WNYC

With shootings on the rise in cities across the U.S., our staff spoke with Brian Lehrer about the reasons young people carry guns, based on their report "Guns, Safety, and the Edge of Adulthood in New York City." Lehrer interviews Research Director, Rachel Swaner Deputy Research Director Elise White, and community-based Research Coordinator Basaime Spate, about the year-long study in NYC.

‘Harlem Garden Ladies’ Creating Green Space In Their NYCHA Development

Pix11

In an effort to bring the community together, over a dozen mothers, grandmothers, and other family members are creating more green space at their NYCHA development. Thanks to funding from the Mayor’s Action Plan and working along with Neighborhood Safety Initiatives, the “Harlem Garden Ladies” are expanding and adding more green space to the Polo Grounds Towers in Harlem. If you were to ask them, these women say "they are planting seeds and then watching the good in the community grow."

In Redondo Beach, It’s Homeless Court Alfresco — With Love

The Los Angeles Times

The Redondo Beach homeless court has its roots in a growing national movement to respond differently to the misdemeanor prosecutions that often send homeless people to jail, and instead make services and long-term support the goal. “While it’s a model with principles and best practices, every jurisdiction is doing this differently to be responsive to community needs,” says our senior program manager, Caitlin Flood of this specialized court.

As Times Square Makes a Comeback, It’s Time to Help Those Still Struggling

CityLimits.org

Many vulnerable individuals who are experiencing homelessness or are in need of other services are shuttled into the criminal justice system. In partnership with Fountain House, Breaking Ground, and the Times Square Alliance, a new community-led initiative in Times Square called Community First aims to interrupt this cycle by building trusting relationships, providing essentials, and learning more about the individual needs of our Midtown community members.

Why New York City Is Now Bleeding: The Causes Are Complex And The Solutions Must Be, Too

NY Daily News

Cy Vance writes an Op-Ed for NY Daily News, detailing the complexities of the rising crime rate. The article also highlights how low-level offense policies, such as Project Reset diversion and declining to prosecute subway fare evasion and marijuana possession, were in place during some of the safest years in our city’s history.

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