2021 Highlights: A Year of Growth and Expansion
With your support of our team to spark change, we launched new programs, expanded others, and created new digital resources to reach further than ever.
As the year comes to a close, we reflect on the difficulties faced by so many during the ongoing pandemic. The continued emotional and economic toll underscores the urgent need for the Center for Court Innovation's work of making communities stronger. This year, despite its challenges, we've grown and expanded our efforts on a wide range of issues—reducing the use of jails, strengthening responses to intimate partner violence, preventing gun violence, and empowering communities to improve safety. When collaborating with individuals, communities, and our partners in the legal system, we put people first in all of our work.
Our highlights from 2021 include:
Reducing incarceration across Queens, N.Y.
This year, the Center expanded our Queens Community Justice Center into a larger space that offers more community engagement. We’re excited to share that we’ll also be opening an office in the Rockaways in 2022!
Deepening our work nationally
We have been assisting Los Angeles county—home to the largest jail population in the U.S.—in rethinking the use of jails and establishing a community-based system of care. With Microsoft’s Justice Reform Initiative and other partners, we are delivering racially equitable diversion opportunities for people in the criminal system who are experiencing mental health issues, homelessness, or substance use challenges.
Investing in community in the South Bronx, N.Y.
Our Bronx Community Justice Center opened this year with a focus on community safety, restorative practices, and youth and economic development. We’re supporting the South Bronx to become a safe and thriving place where community-driven investment can flourish.
Resolving more cases without a criminal record
Project Reset allows people who are arrested for low-level charges across New York City to resolve their cases without ever stepping into a courtroom. With the support of the district attorneys' offices and the New York Police Department, Project Reset recently expanded and is now available in all five boroughs.
Reducing risk and preventing homicides in intimate partner violence cases
DV RISC launched this year as a clearinghouse of content and resources for police, prosecutors, victim advocates, and others to identify and support victims at the highest risk of being killed by intimate partner violence. The website was created in partnership with the Office of Violence Against Women.
Responding to youth and community violence
We started the Insight Initiative in neighborhoods with some of the city’s highest rates of youth justice involvement, school dropout rates, and community violence. The program provides an alternative to incarceration for young people facing gun charges, offering them structure and support to stop harmful behaviors, take accountability for their actions, and contribute to their communities.