Erika Sasson

Erika Sasson, BCL, LLB, LLM, is the director of restorative practices at the Center for Court Innovation, overseeing the Center's restorative practice initiatives across a broad range of demonstration projects. She is currently directing a multi-year randomized controlled trial of restorative practices in five high schools in Brooklyn with high suspension rates. She is also overseeing a project exploring the national landscape of restorative practices in cases of intimate partner violence and sexual assault. She directs the Center's interventions in juvenile justice and gender-based violence as part of a USAID-funded project in Guatemala. Ms. Sasson previously oversaw the planning and implementation of the Red Hook peacemaking program, the first program of its kind in a state court system, and which was awarded the 2015 Innovations in Criminal Justice Award by the Association for Prosecuting Attorneys. She previously participated as a site coordinator for the MacArthur Safety and Justice Challenge, assisting jurisdictions in finding ways to reduce the over-reliance on jail and reduce racial and ethnic disparities in its use. Prior to joining the Center, she worked in Toronto as a federal prosecutor, where she handled drug, gun, and gang cases. She completed fellowships in human rights law in Sri Lanka, Ecuador, and Israel. Ms. Sasson moved to New York in 2009 to attend New York University School of Law, where she received an L.L.M. in criminal justice. She is raising a family with her husband Misha in Brooklyn, NY.