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
Procedural Justice at the Manhattan Criminal Court

by Rachel Swaner, Elise White, Dana Kralstein, and Lauren Lyons

Can changes at a busy urban courthouse make users feel respected, ensure they understand the process, and enhance impressions of the legitimacy of the court? This study looks at a series of improvements to the Manhattan Criminal Court and before-and-after defendant surveys.

Procedural Justice

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News

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 in Gotham Gazette, 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.
Our Two Kinds of Criminal Justice, and How to Reconcile Them

June 8, 2018
Governing

Our director, Greg Berman, argues the fight to transform the American justice system will not be won "from the offices of our foundations, elected officials, or editorial boards." Along with macro reform ideas, look for micro changes in practice with far-reaching implications.

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We work with reformers around the world.

Do you need help solving a problem, launching a new initiative or improving an old one? Contact our experts.

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