Procedural Justice

Procedural justice seeks to ensure that the justice system treats everybody with dignity and respect.

Research has shown that when court users perceive the justice system to be fair, they are more likely to comply with court orders and follow the law in the future—regardless of the outcome of their case. Researchers such as Tom Tyler of Yale Law School have boiled down procedural justice to a handful of key elements: treating court users with dignity and respect, ensuring that they understand the process, that they have a voice, and that decisions are made neutrally. The Center for Court Innovation works to promote procedural justice in the U.S. and internationally. In addition to testing promising practices on the ground in our operating programs, we offer training and expert assistance to jurisdictions interested in assessing or enhancing their procedural justice practices.

Initiatives

Harlem Community Justice Center

The Harlem Community Justice Center works to increase housing stability, engage young people in their community, and help individuals returning from prison transition home.
MacArthur Foundation’s Safety and Justice Challenge

The MacArthur Foundation’s Safety and Justice Challenge seeks to reduce over-incarceration by changing the way America thinks about and uses jails.
Red Hook Community Justice Center

The nation's first multi-jurisdictional community court, the Red Hook Community Justice Center seeks to solve neighborhood problems in southwest Brooklyn.

Publications & Digital Media

Book
Start Here: A Road Map to Reducing Mass Incarceration

by Greg Berman and Julian Adler

Written by Greg Berman, director of the Center for Court Innovation, and Julian Adler, director of policy and research, Start Here from the New Press offers a road map of concrete actions to reduce the number of people sent to jail and prison, highlighting key lessons from successful programs across the country.

Bail Reform, Community Justice, Diversion, Procedural Justice, Reducing Violence, Risk Assessment
Book
To Be Fair

by Emily Gold LaGratta and Tom Tyler

To Be Fair is a compilation of interviews with practitioners from around the country who have worked to implement the tenets of procedural justice in criminal courts.

Procedural Justice
Publication
Building Public Trust and Confidence Through Model Court Websites

by Emily Gold LaGratta, Alejandra Garcia, Hope Lochridge, and Mark Goodner

In partnership with the Texas Municipal Courts Education Center and State Justice Institute, the Center developed and pilot-tested a court website prototype founded in procedural justice principles. The idea was to give courts sample language, imagery, and layout advice—informed by a user experience designer—to turn a typical visit to a court website into a trust-building opportunity. This toolkit describes the key building blocks of a model website, strategies for implementation, and lessons learned from pilot courts.

Procedural Justice

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News

Are Efforts to Improve ‘Fairness’ Enough?

September 23, 2019
The Crime Report

In an effort to improve fairness, a Manhattan courthouse made physical improvements to the building itself and implemented changes in how judges and court officers interacted with visitors. The Crime Report highlights findings from our recent study that these efforts aren't enough on their own to change perceptions of the justice system.
The Next Battleground in the Fight to Close Rikers

May 21, 2019
Gotham Gazette

Legislation like the recent New York State justice reforms is a powerful tool, but it's no magic bullet. As former New York Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman and our director, Greg Berman, argue, lasting change also requires the slow grind of transforming practice and culture.
A Road to Ending Mass Incarceration?

December 15, 2018
Los Angeles Review of Books

Praising its "vivid" narrative and "balanced prescriptions throughout," the Los Angeles Review of Books looks at Start Here by our Greg Berman and Julian Adler.

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