Access to Justice

We work to improve access to justice, with a particular focus on ensuring that low-income individuals have the tools they need to solve problems.

Poverty Justice Solutions helps provide lawyers for low-income New Yorkers in Housing Court. Legal Hand trains community volunteers to offer their neighbors free access to legal information. Our community justice centers work to render the justice system more transparent and responsive, actively engaging residents, merchants, and others in the process of doing justice.We work to improve the cultural responsiveness of courts in domestic violence cases and assist parents in child support cases. And our research department documents the legal needs of specific neighborhoods and produces recommendations for streamlining cumbersome legal processes, such as the payment of bail.

Initiatives

Legal Hand

Legal Hand empowers community residents to support their neighbors with the legal information they need.
Poverty Justice Solutions

Poverty Justice Solutions seeks to improve Housing Court in New York City by training new lawyers to represent tenants.
Price of Justice Initiative

The Price of Justice Initiative helps jurisdictions address the disparate impact of fines and fees on defendants who cannot afford them.
Housing Resource Centers

Through housing, financial, and legal assistance, we help tenants navigate housing court to resolve critical repairs and prevent evictions.

Publications & Digital Media

Publication
Health, Housing, and Justice Alliance

by Caitlin Flood, Alyssa Goodpaster, Masha Miura, and Kelly Mulligan-Brown

As the COVID-19 pandemic forced organizations and institutions to shift to operating remotely, disparities driven by the digital divide became a shared problem across major cross-sector systems important to a community’s well-being. The Health, Housing, and Justice Alliance sought to eliminate inequities of fully virtual legal, healthcare, and social services through the creation of pop-up navigation centers and court hubs throughout Newark, New Jersey.

Access to Justice, Community Justice, Problem-Solving Justice
Publication
Neighbors in Action: Creating Safer and Healthier Communities

by Amy Ellenbogen

On the occasion of its twentieth anniversary, an introduction to the origins, programming, and community impact of Neighbors in Action, formerly known as the Crown Heights Community Mediation Center. Neighbors in Action works to make the central Brooklyn neighborhoods of Crown Heights and Bedford-Stuyvesant safer and healthier for all.

Access to Justice, Addressing Racial Disparities, Reducing Trauma, Reducing Violence
Publication
Sixth Amendment Initiative: Strengthening the Constitutional Protections of the Accused

by Lisa Bailey Vavonese, Jennifer A. Tallon, Sruthi Naraharisetti, Elizabeth Ling, and Marea Beeman

In a companion report to its first publication, the Center for Court Innovation and the National Legal Aid and Defender Association outline six jurisdictions working to increase their capacities to uphold Sixth Amendment rights.

Access to Justice

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News

Brooklyn Court Rethinks Incarceration for Individuals With Mental Illnesses

June 2, 2022
NowThis

NowThis, the social media-focused news outlet, created a five-video series on our Brooklyn Mental Health Court, which offers community-based treatment not incarceration for individuals with serious mental health diagnoses. Watch the following videos to learn more:
Episode 1 - D.A. Eric Gonzalez, Episode 2 - Judge Matthew D'Emic, Episode 3 - Dave Kelly and Kerry Rowe, Episode 4 - Ruth O'Sullivan, Episode 5 - Colleen King
Common Council Sets Aside $800k to Help Syracuse Tenants Navigate Housing Problems

March 28, 2022
WAER 88.3

The Center’s Syracuse Peacemaking Center will continue operation for another two years, thanks to funding from the city’s Common Council. Program ambassadors are working with community partners and guest speakers to provide residents a safe place to talk and connect them with mental health services. Our Leah Russell tells WAER how the program has “seen firsthand how housing concerns are exacerbating mental health issues.”
Video Court and Language Impairments with Lisa Vavonese and Michele LaVigne

March 7, 2022
The NCJA Podcast

In a court setting, system actors are often assessing the credibility of parties. How is that different over video? Lisa Vavonese, our director of Research-Practice Strategies, joins the NCJA (National Criminal Justice Association) podcast to discuss the challenges and benefits of video court, which is becoming increasingly common since the COVID-19 pandemic.

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