For the Media

Speaker Adams Outlines Vision to Prioritize ‘People Over Everything’ with Focus on Workers and New Yorkers’ Access to Economic Mobility, Fair Housing, and Healthier, Safer Neighborhoods in State of the City Address

Speaker Adams Outlines Vision to Prioritize ‘People Over Everything’ with Focus on Workers and New Yorkers’ Access to Economic Mobility, Fair Housing, and Healthier, Safer Neighborhoods in State of the City Address

New York City Council

In her State of the City address, New York City Council Speaker Adrienne E. Adams spoke about prioritizing people and creating safer neighborhoods. Executive Director Courtney Bryan added a statement commending Speaker Adams for her commitment to closing Rikers. "The Center for Justice Innovation is committed to working with the City to close Rikers in the next four years through expanding the availability of community-based alternatives to incarceration, partnering with communities to prevent crime involvement, and creating a fairer, more effective justice system for all.”

Sherene Crawford Rejoins Center for Justice Innovation

Sherene Crawford Rejoins Center for Justice Innovation

New York Law Journal

The Center is proud to add three new executive staff positions: Sherene Crawford will return to the organization as Chief of Staff; she was previously with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office’s Pathways to Public Safety Division, leading alternatives-to-incarceration programs. Dan Lavoie is the Chief of External Affairs and Theron Pride is the Managing Director of National Initiatives and Research. 

‘A Space for Everyone to Come To’: Placekeeping in Brownsville

‘A Space for Everyone to Come To’: Placekeeping in Brownsville

Vital City

This photo essay displays Brownsville Community Justice Center's work in placekeeping and includes personal narratives from members of the Youth Leadership Council who dreamt up the spaces that will foster healing in their community.

Designing New York: Streetscapes for Wellness

Designing New York: Streetscapes for Wellness

NYC Public Design Commission

Youth participants of our Brownsville Community Justice Center considered how physical spaces can foster healing from traumatic events. They envisioned shared public installations and helped create them to cultivate healing and comfort. These unique spaces designed for their community were highlighted in NYC Public Design Commission's "Streetscapes for Wellness" report! Take a look at these "healing spaces" (page 58).

NYCHA resident’s own experience with homelessness fuels her housing advocacy

NYCHA resident’s own experience with homelessness fuels her housing advocacy

Pix11

Sharing how her own experiences drive her housing work, Yvette Rouget—program manager at our Brownsville Community Justice Center’s Housing Resource Center—recently spoke with Pix11 News about New York’s housing crisis and how expanding rental assistance funding will be essential to help folks pay their rent. In her work towards safe, secure housing in the last decade, Yvette and her colleagues have helped prevent over 600 evictions in Brownsville, Brooklyn.

Vacant NYCHA units jumped more than 600% in a year, stranding residents

Vacant NYCHA units jumped more than 600% in a year, stranding residents

NY1

People living in New York City public housing who have requested to transfer apartments—typically due to severe repair needs, domestic violence, or other imminent safety issues—are currently left waiting upwards of years. Yet, there has been a 640% increase in vacant public housing units within the past year, pointing to a system-wide slowdown, says Ross Joy, director of housing and civil justice at our Red Hook Community Justice Center. Decades of underfunding has caused challenges throughout NYCHA (New York City Housing Authority), including unfilled staff positions that would help maintain and turnover units between tenants.

The Urgent Need to Fund Public Housing Residents

The Urgent Need to Fund Public Housing Residents

Gotham Gazette

Nearly half of New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) households are behind on rent, to the tune of $454 million, yet there is still no policy or funding solution in sight. Federal and state government-provided funding to help tenants pay rent during the pandemic placed people in subsidized housing, including NYCHA residents, last in line. In this Gotham Gazette op-ed, Center Executive Director Courtney Bryant calls for government relief, saying "We cannot abandon NYCHA tenants or the buildings they call home. In the short-term, we must provide immediate relief to the nearly 50% of households who have fallen behind on rent."

‘I Gotta Protect Myself’: NYC Youths Explain Why They Carry Guns

‘I Gotta Protect Myself’: NYC Youths Explain Why They Carry Guns

The Crime Report

In a groundbreaking study on gun possession among youth in New York City, the Center for Court Innovation found that young people's decisions to carry a firearm overwhelmingly stemmed from concerns for their physical safety. The report surveyed up to 330 young people, ages 16 to 24, who expressed fears of being harmed both by violent crime and by interactions with law enforcement. The researchers concluded that strategies to reduce gun violence at the community level must be informed by the perspectives of affected young people themselves.

Could This Be a Model for Justice in New York City’s Housing Courts?

Could This Be a Model for Justice in New York City’s Housing Courts?

Columbia News Service

Most people who come to New York City housing court are low-income tenants facing eviction. With the largest public housing complex in Brooklyn falling in Red Hook Community Justice Center’s jurisdiction, one of its top priorities is to keep tenants in their homes. The court's model—addressing the root causes of what drives people to court and responding to local concerns, rather than simply enforcing the law—has proven its success and is an example of what justice could look like in housing courts throughout the city.

Staten Island Justice Center hosts quality of life expo

Staten Island Justice Center hosts quality of life expo

CBS New York

Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s legacy of service, the Staten Island Justice Center hosted a community event centered around improving the quality of life for residents. This fun, impactful day included giveaways, activities, plenty of food, and partner organizations joining to share community enrichment resources, such as assistance with SNAP applications, legal and business services, career building support, and more.

Manhattan District Attorney: Homeless in NYC Need Services and Support, Not Jail

Manhattan District Attorney: Homeless in NYC Need Services and Support, Not Jail

Teen Vogue

In this opinion piece, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg shares his plan for providing voluntary services that will help New Yorkers live with dignity and make all of us safer. Bragg advocates for providing treatment, services, and a path to a better life to help folks safely manage substance and mental health struggles, sharing that arrests and incarceration alone will not address their needs. Citing Center expertise on supportive solutions, Bragg's plan is to utilize neighborhood and court-based navigators who will meet people where they are, build trust, and provide needed services. 

With Mission Growing Beyond Court Reform, Influential Nonprofit Takes On New Name

With Mission Growing Beyond Court Reform, Influential Nonprofit Takes On New Name

New York Law Journal

After over 25 years at the cutting edge of efforts to reform the justice system and cultivate safe and vibrant communities, the Center for Court Innovation has changed its name to the Center for Justice Innovation. This new name is intended to better reflect the entirety of the Center's work, which has for long been carried out not only within the court system but also well beyond it. This article from the New York Law Journal draws attention to the name change and discusses the Center's growth—both quantitative and qualitative—since its founding. As executive director Courtney Bryan told the Journal, "Our new name reflects our belief that true justice is a continuum that starts in the community long before anyone ends up in court."