2020 in Review: How We Made a Difference

As this challenging and historic year comes to a close, all we can say is: thank you. Your belief in us as a changemaker and advocate for fairness has pushed our work further.

Your support helped our researchers and practitioners move us toward a fair and effective justice system by:

Preventing and Responding to Gun Violence

We published a groundbreaking participatory study on the drivers of gun violence, featured in The New York Times and on our New Thinking podcast. After interviewing over 300 young people, our researchers identified widespread experiences of violence and the fear of police as the primary motivations for carrying a gun. We're now replicating the study in five U.S. cities.
 

Making Sense of Bail Reform

We published the first in-depth forecast of the effects of New York’s amendments to the earlier sweeping restrictions on bail and pretrial detention. Widely cited in media accounts, the analysis predicted a sharp increase in New York City’s pretrial jail population, a forecast confirmed by our new publication on COVID-19 and the city’s jail population.

 

Responding Restoratively

We're working to reimagine the response to intimate partner violence through the lens of restorative justice. Not long ago, the prospect of such a response was dismissed by many as impossible. Building on years of research and community conversations, this report outlines pathways for developing restorative and community-based approaches to intimate partner violence, and advocates for funding the community-based practitioners at the forefront of this work.
 

Challenging the Pairing of Treatment and Jail

The threat of incarceration has long been seen in some quarters as the best incentive to ensure people’s meaningful engagement in court-ordered treatment. But what if that assumption is wrong? This research brief argues the central element governing the effectiveness of treatment is the quality of the human interaction that accompanies it. The authors call for more investigation into variations on the traditional treatment court model, including the absence of punitive sanctions for non-compliance.

Listening to Youth

Made up of teenagers from across New York City, our 2018-2019 Youth Justice Board published its report this year on something that has becoming increasingly important in the lives of young people: social media and how police and schools use it for surveillance. Recommendations in the report include abolishing gang databases, implementing new state standards, and supporting curricula to equip youth to be digital citizens. 
 

Reducing Jail Populations 

The Center advocates for closing the notorious Rikers Island jail complex. We have kept thousands out of jail safely by offering alternatives to bail. Our programming also allowed for the safe early release of 144 individuals from Rikers, where rates of COVID-19 were eight times higher than the rest of the city
 

Designing Alternatives to Policing

The Center is rethinking the role of law enforcement. Our goal is to make police intervention a last resort, and instead elevate holistic, community-based responses—with a particular focus on individuals in Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color. 
 

Breaking the Cycle of Debt and Punishment

The Center fights to reduce the harmful impacts of fines and fees within the justice system. These financial burdens trap people in cycles of poverty and perpetuate racial inequality. The Center completed an ambitious three-year initiative, leading five states to reform their use of fines and fees. 
 

Imagine what your support will do in 2021. Your tax-deductible donation will help build a system that is fair and equitable for all. Now is the time: give today.