The Center for Justice Innovation—and our operating programs—are regularly featured in the media. Here is a sampling of the press coverage of our work.
Our Legal Hand program hosted a resume workshop in the Bronx to help residents craft strong resumes and boost their career skills. Topics included how to structure and format a resume, write compelling bullet points, tailor resumes to job descriptions, and succeed in interviews. The "Elevate Your Resume" workshop was led by Rachelle Brown, who specializes in workshop development, and gave residents the opportunity to ask questions and offer feedback.
Former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch has been appointed to chair the Women’s Justice Commision by the Council on Criminal Justice. The commission, which aims to address the unique challenges women face in the criminal justice system, marked its launch in July with a visit to our Brownsville Community Justice Center. Lynch and 15 other leaders serving on the commission toured the Justice Center and heard a presentation on our Brooklyn programs, which align with their commitment to reducing the flow of women into the justice system in the wake of rising incarceration rates.
Brownsville, Brooklyn, gained 19 young mental health advocates thanks to the B-Well program, a collaboration between the Brownsville Community Justice Center, Transformation Counseling Services, and Pitkin Ave BID. A cohort of young adults aged 16 to 24 gathered each week to learn how to care for themselves, their mental health, and the broader community in an initiative funded through participatory budgeting. “We would love to have this program again to continue to raise awareness and create a large network of mental health advocates throughout the community,” said Mallory Thatch, senior program manager at Brownsville Community Justice Center.
Our RISE team joined residents, New York City Council Member Farah Louis, and other community organizations like Sports United to rally for a violence-free summer with a basketball tournament and youth resource fair in Flatbush, Brooklyn. The event, in recognition of Gun Violence Awareness Month, brought the community together for a day of fun, performance, and urgent calls for an end to gun violence from respected leaders in the community.
Dozens of middle school students from Launch Charter School in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, joined up with our Save Our Streets team, school staff, and other members of the community to stage a walkout against gun violence to kick off Gun Violence Awareness Month. The walkout came after the young people spent months learning about the impacts of gun violence on their communities and many others. “They want the community to know that they're here and they're making noise to show that enough is enough. Gun violence needs to stop,” said Anthony Rowe, project director of our Neighbors in Action program.
"To finally end gun violence in our communities, we need to invest in our kids and give them the support they need to thrive." That was Anthony Rowe, project director of our Neighbors in Action program in Brooklyn, after the team partnered with Launch Charter School in Crown Heights to support a walkout of more than 100 middle school students for National Gun Violence Awareness Month. In Our Time Press, hear from teachers, community activists, and lawmakers on the tragic toll of gun violence in Brooklyn and the important work being done to prevent it.
"To finally end gun violence in our communities, we need to invest in our kids and give them the support they need to thrive." That was Anthony Rowe, project director of our Neighbors in Action program in Brooklyn, after the team partnered with Launch Charter School in Crown Heights to support a walkout of more than 100 middle school students for National Gun Violence Awareness Month. In Our Time Press, hear from teachers, community activists, and lawmakers on the tragic toll of gun violence in Brooklyn and the important work being done to prevent it.
More than 100 students in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, took a bold stand against gun violence in their own communities by participating in a walkout to mark the beginning of Gun Violence Awareness Month. The walkout was planned with support from the Launch Expeditionary Learning Charter School in collaboration with our Save Our Streets Brooklyn team, which works to prevent shootings and bring positive resources to young people at risk of getting involved in gun violence. Read more about the walkout, and the months of study and reflection that went into it, in the New York Times.
Robert Abruzzese recaps the official launch of our Street Action Network at the Brooklyn Public Library. The Street Action Network is a community research initiative that draws on the expertise of people with firsthand experience and high social capital in the streets to end gun violence. Hear from Co-Directors Basaime Spate and Javonte Alexander, as well as NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and our executive director, Courtney Bryan. Spate and Alexander take us through their experience with street networks, community research, and growing up as Black men in New York City while exploring the mission behind this new initiative.
The Inside Literary Prize, the first U.S. book award to be judged entirely by incarcerated people, will soon make its debut onto the national stage after months of reading and discussion by participants. “To choose an award is important for saying you’re part of the community, part of society. So much about being incarcerated says you’re not,” says Reginald Dwayne Betts, founder of Freedom Reads, which is supporting the award alongside the Center for Justice Innovation, the National Book Foundation, and bookstore owner Lori Feathers. In this issue of Poets&Writers, Betts and others expand on the humanizing impact of this literary experience on people serving time in prison.
