Red Hook Community Justice Center 15th Anniversary Celebration
The Red Hook Community Justice Center celebrated its 15th anniversary with a party at the Brooklyn Museum on October 26, 2015. The Justice Center was created to improve public safety, to reduce the use of incarceration, and to improve relations between the justice system and the local community.
Event Committee
Amanda Burden, Bloomberg Associates
John Feinblatt, Everytown for Gun Safety
Daniel Karson, Kroll
Judith S. Kaye, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom
Robert Keating, Pace University
David Kramer, The Hudson Companies
Eric Lee, Bennett Midland LLC
Mary McCormick, Fund for the City of New York
Herb Sturz, Open Society Foundations
Jeremy Travis, John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Nicholas Turner, Vera Institute of Justice
Andrew Kimball, Industry City
Alain Bourgeois, Probitas Foundation
Jonathan Rosen, BerlinRosen
Craig Nerenberg, Brenner West Capital Advisors, LLC
Michael Jacobson, CUNY Institute for State and Local Governance
David Kennedy, National Network for Safe Communities
Sister Paulette LoMonaco, Good Shepherd Services
Dustin Yellin, Pioneer Works
Greg O’Connell, The O’Connell Organization
Randy Peers, Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow
Rosanne Haggerty, Community Solutions
Seymour James, Legal Aid Society
Lisa Schreibersdorf, Brooklyn Defender Services
Ana Gasteyer, Singer/Actor
Andy Bachman, Congregation Beth Elohim
Jill Eisenhard, Red Hook Initiative
Organizations listed for identification.
Results
Reduced Incarceration: The Justice Center has reduced the use of jail at arraignment in misdemeanor cases by 50 percent.
Accountability: Compliance rates with court orders average 75 percent–a 50 percent improvement on the standard at comparable courts.
Public Trust: Approval ratings of police, prosecutors and judges have increased three‑fold since the Justice Center opened.
Public Support: A door-to-door survey revealed that 94 percent of local residents support the community court. Before the Justice Center opened, only 12 percent of local residents rated local courts favorably.
Reduced Fear: Since 1999, the percentage of Red Hook residents who say they are afraid to go to the parks or subway at night has dropped 42 percent.
Fairness: More than 85 percent of criminal defendants report that their cases were handled fairly by the Justice Center–results that were consistent regardless of defendant background (e.g. race, sex, education) or case outcome.
Click here to read more about research results, including caseload, sentencing, compliance, and other outcomes. Click here for an independent evaluation of the Justice Center completed by the National Center for State Courts.
The Red Hook Peacemaking Program is testing an old approach to conflicts in a new setting.
Excerpts from the PBS documentary "Red Hook Justice" by award-winning filmmaker Meema Spadola.
In the News
- New York Times: A Court Keeps People Out of Rikers While Remaining Tough
- New York Daily News: Red Hook Community Court is a success for defendants and taxpayers, study shows
- Pacific Standard: The Experience of Dignity: Community Courts and the Future of the Criminal Justice System
- Robin Hood Foundation: Judge Alex Calabrese and Tina Dixon Honored as Robin Hood Heroes
- Metro: Red Hook Community Justice Center delivers solutions in lieu of judgment