Press

During a rise in gun violence in New York City, the New York Times looks to understand why. They share the findings from our year-long study in areas of New York with high rates of gun violence, showing that many people in those communities don’t feel protected by authority figures, including the police, and are facing cycles of trauma, violence, and systemic disinvestment in communities.

Citing our findings of the surging number of people in New York City jails awaiting trial, The New York Times looks at how COVID-19 is disrupting the city's courts—imperiling not only people's health, but their constitutional right to a speedy trial.

Barry has been arrested approximately 160 times, while facing drug addiction, homelessness, and a lack of job skills and opportunities. As our executive director Courtney Bryan and senior staff say, there are alternatives to the criminal justice system that can address the underlying factors that cause the behavior and find solutions for a new path forward.

New York City’s jail population is close to reaching pre-pandemic levels. The Appeal reports, "The city’s jail population, now over 4,700, is largely the result of a growing number of people held awaiting trial. According to a recent report by the Center for Court Innovation, between the end of April, when the city took emergency COVID-related decarceration measures, and Nov. 1, the pretrial population incarcerated in city jails has increased by more than 28 percent."

Brooklyn organizations, including our Save Our Streets team, came together to flood their communities with resources and access to quality programming to help combat a recent uptick in violence in the neighborhood and surrounding area.

The pretrial jail population in New York City has increased by nearly 16 percent since July, when the state amended a previously passed bail reform measure, reports the Hill. The article cites our study, which predicted the same percentage increase and found that under the amended law, 84 percent of total cases remain ineligible for bail.

"We need a vision of a better society: a future grounded in love, justice, accountability, a future grounded in safety and good health," Ashish Prashar makes the argument against incarceration and includes our Red Hook Community Justice Center and Harlem Community Justice Center as examples of successful restorative justice programs. 

All five of New York City’s District Attorneys came together to write a joint letter arguing that unless funding for Project Reset is renewed, the program will be eliminated in most of the city. The program, currently offered in all boroughs and to all ages, provides a proportionate and meaningful response to low-level offenses to offer people a second chance. 

Emily Bazelon, author and journalist, joins Brian Lehrer to talk about the policy and the politics around the use of restorative justice in schools and in courtrooms, looking to our Red Hook Community Justice Center and our Restorative Justice in Schools program as examples. 

Wesleyan alumni and community leaders, including our director of policy and research Julian Adler, discussed the the intersection of criminal justice and the 2020 election. The panelists discussed a wide range of issues, including harnessing the decarceral moment driven by coronavirus and the power of students and young people to affect change.