Dee Mandiyan

On September 17, 2009, the Harlem Community Justice Center, in collaboration with the New York Police Department, held a youth resource fair at the historic Harlem Armory. The fair was the brainchild of Lt. Kevin O’Connor of Patrol Borough Manhattan North, who asked the Justice Center in to help him with the fair. Increasing youth gang violence and the need for parents to know more about the resources available to them in their community were prime motivators for the fair. The name of the fair, “For The Kids (F.T.K),” mirrors the three-letter name trend of many juvenile gangs in upper Manhattan. The fair sent a strong anti-violence message and helped Harlem youth and local police officers interact in a positive way.  Over 1,000 youth and parents attended. They had access to over 80 service providers, recruiters and local businesses with information and give-a-ways. Additionally, youth groups performed for the crowd.  Also in attendance were all the commanding officers for each of the police precincts in Harlem and  Borough Commander Chief Banks III. The Justice Center, working with NYPD youth officers, conducted extensive outreach throughout Harlem to publicize the fair. More than 15,000 flyers were distributed and an email was sent to over 400 partners.

The 10th graduation of the Harlem Reentry Court featured a special guest. “I was born in Harlem, and I grew up in Harlem and now at 82, I’m still in Harlem,” said Harry Belafonte, the singer, actor and activist, as he congratulated the Reentry Court’s 17 graduates on satisfying the program’s rigorous requirements.

The Center for Court Innovation, with the support of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance has embarked on a multi-faceted inquiry designed to analyze failure and innovation in criminal justice reform.  At its heart, this is an effort to shift the way criminal justice agencies perceive failure, from a stigmatizing and wholly negative force to a necessary companion and contributor to success. In January 2007, the Center for Court Innovation and the Bureau of Justice Assistance convened an all-day roundtable on failure, facilitated by Harvard's Frank Hartmann, at the Center for Court Innovation's headquarters in midtown Manhattan. The goal was to discuss concrete examples of criminal justice failures and identify potential lessons. An edited transcript from the roundtable was published in The Journal for Court Innovation and can be found here. In addition, staff from the Center have spoken at national conferences on the subject of failure, including appearances at the Urban Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Hunter College, Baruch College, National Association of Drug Court Professionals, the National Association for Court Management, the Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Connecticut Criminal Justice Policy and Planning Division.  

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.