Problem-Solving Justice News Archive

Municipal courts too often create cycles of harm that can get people entangled in the justice system, but they also have the potential to deliver justice in ways that respond to communities’ needs.

By offering people the support and resources they need to find a better path, Manhattan’s Felony Alternative to Incarceration Court is working to build a safer New York for us all.

After years of struggling with a cycle of mental health crises and criminal justice involvement, Ibrahim Ayu—a community activist, attorney, and author—graduated from our Manhattan Misdemeanor Mental Health Court program with a stable job, supportive housing, and robust mental health care. Mental health courts provide a pathway out of the justice system while addressing the underlying needs that brought people into it. In this op-ed for City Limits, Ayu shares his story and makes a case for expanding these vital programs across New York. “Far more people should be getting the genuine care and treatment that I got,” he writes.

Community Justice Centers offer an innovative model for how we can “invest in institutions and spaces that reanimate community life.”

Amid growing concerns about the decline in civic engagement, institutions and spaces that revitalize community and make room for collective problem-solving are more important than ever. A powerful example, writes Chief Judge Rowan Wilson, can be seen in community justice centers across New York, operated by the Center for Justice Innovation in partnership with the Unified Court System. In this piece for the New York Law Journal, Judge Wilson looks at the history and future of this innovative model, which brings courts and communities together to address neighborhood challenges and improve well-being for residents inside and outside the justice system.

An innovative response to driving offenses reduces recidivism while cutting back on the harms of the justice system, according to our new impact evaluation.

Look back at some creative new initiatives, fresh perspectives on justice policy, and milestones in Community Justice from our teams across the Center.

To achieve true justice, we must build safety. And for communities to feel truly safe, there must be justice.

Who winds up on Rikers Island and why? What will it take to close the troubled jail complex? Those are some critical questions raised in Vital City’s special issue on New York City’s jails. In their contribution to the issue, our policy experts Daniel Ades and Virginia Barber Rioja make the case for investing in supportive housing, not jail, for people with serious mental illness—a desperately needed alternative that is cheaper, more humane, and safer for us all.

At this year's State of the Judiciary, Chief Judge Rowan D. Wilson shared the podium with guest speakers who have seen firsthand what happens when courts treat people with care and compassion.