Columbia University's Bruce Western, a leading expert on the connection between mass incarceration and poverty, discusses his new book, Homeward: Life in the Year After Prison, and outlines his vision for a justice system rebuilt to respond to the deep deprivation and trauma fueling much of the behaviour that leads to imprisonment.
Highlights from a public screening and panel discussion of Bill Moyers's 'Rikers: An American Jail,' moderated by New Thinking host, Matt Watkins. Commenting on the film and the future of criminal justice reform are Tina Luongo of the Legal Aid Society, Jill Harris of the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office, and two of the people formerly held on Rikers featured in the film: Barry Campbell of the Fortune Society, and Johnny Perez of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture.
In 2010, the National Institute of Justice funded the Center for Court Innovation and partners to complete an evaluation of eight reentry courts across the country created by the federal government's 2007 Second Chance Act. This page brings together the series of reports presenting the results of an impact evaluation, a cost-effectiveness study, and a multi-year process evaluation.
This report highlights key lessons learned in implementing the Second Chance Act Adult Reentry Courts, created by the federal government in 2007. The report presents final implementation findings based on three years of process evaluation site visits funded by the National Institute of Justice and is the last in a series of three process evaluation reports.
This study of seven Second Chance Act Adult Reentry Courts across the U.S. found the courts differ in their respective approaches and, as a result, in their effectiveness at addressing the needs of formerly incarcerated individuals and reducing future criminal behavior. Key features of the most successful site are also highlighted.
New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr., and Judge Verna Saunders of the Harlem Community Justice Center celebrate the return to the community of participants in the Harlem Parole Reentry Court.
The Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reintegration Program provides intensive case management and reentry services to tribal members returning to the community from incarceration. The program provides financial assistance for basic needs such as housing, clothing, and groceries, and offers long-term support through educational, vocational, and legal services.
In this New Thinking podcast, Reuben J. Miller, assistant professor of social work at the University of Michigan, and his research collaborator Hazelette Crosby-Robinson discuss some of the criticisms that have been leveled against risk assessment tools. Those criticisms include placing too much emphasis on geography and criminal history, which can distort the actual risk for clients from neighborhoods that experience an above-average presence of policing and social services.
This monograph describes UPNEXT, a job training and family engagement program based out of the Midtown Community Court that serves unemployed men and non-custodial fathers.
The Harlem Community Justice Center, with the generous support of the J.C Flowers Foundation, participates in the Circles of Support Initiative, which brings together the faith community and formerly incarcerated leaders to support men and women returning home from prison. This video highlights a Circles of Support partnership between the Justice Center’s evidence-based Reentry Court and the Church of the Heavenly Rest. The program assists participants on parole who are seeking employment.
