We work to create a more effective and humane justice system by performing original research and helping launch reforms around the world.

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Video

From Defendant to Survivor: How Courts are Responding to Human Trafficking

Survivors of sex trafficking are usually treated as criminals rather than victims. But some courts have begun to recognize that those arrested on prostitution charges are often victims of coercion, violence, and trauma. Our new video, From Defendant to Survivor, profiles the innovative approaches being taken by courts in Los Angeles, New York City, and Columbus, Ohio.

Publication

Procedural Justice and Legitimacy in the Criminal Justice System

This study highlights the voices of justice-involved individuals describing experiences with procedural justice. Findings suggest those surveyed do not view the justice system as legitimate or fair, and that those opinions are largely shaped by individual interactions with system-actors, as well as by broader perceived factors such as institutional racism, the over-policing of minor crimes, and a lack of accountability of all criminal justice agents.

Press

'Start Here' Nominated for Social Justice Prize

Our book, Start Here: A Roadmap to Reducing Mass Incarceration, is one of six books nominated for this year's Goddard Riverside Stephan Russo Book Prize for Social Justice, an award celebrating "the power of the written word to create change in the name of justice for all."

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Press

Scottish Justice Reformers Draw Lessons From Red Hook, Brooklyn

As Scotland looks to reduce its use of incarceration and improve outcomes for the justice-involved, The Scotsman reports on the recent visit and testimony before Parliament of our director, Greg Berman, and the inspiration reformers there are taking from our Red Hook Community Justice Center.

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Press

Supervised Release Hits Milestone as City Works Toward Closing Rikers

A check-in on supervised release—an important, and expanding, alternative to bail and pretrial detention in New York City—as the program reaches 10,000 participants. We operate the program in three of the city's five boroughs.

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Audio

The Most Hot-Button Issue in Criminal Justice Reform?

About two out of three people in local jails haven't been found guilty of any crime. Instead, they're being held awaiting trial, often because they can't afford bail. What if a mathematical formula could do a more objective job of identifying who could be safely released? That's the promise of risk assessments. But critics call them "justice by algorithm," and contend they're reproducing the bias inherent to the justice system, only this time under the guise of science.