Since the spring of 2016, people soliciting tips, selling tickets and CDs, and panhandling in Times Square have had to conduct their business in “Designated Activity Zones” or risk a criminal penalty. This report presents findings from a needs-assessment survey of these workers. Implications for programming at the Midtown Community Court that handles violations of the new activity zones and recommendations for policy reforms by regulatory bodies are discussed.
Undertaken to inform the work of the Center for Court Innovation’s Legal Hand project, this street-intercept study in Crown Heights, Brooklyn documents the most common civil legal needs facing the community, and how, if at all, community members address these needs.
The Red Hook Community Justice Center serves as a hub for an array of unconventional programs. This video highlights the unique and multi-faceted roles that the Justice Center plays in the lives of its community members. The common thread is that the Justice Center is changing lives every day.
This report presents findings from an evaluation of the Brownsville Anti-Violence Project. The project was designed to reduce gun violence through focused deterrence aimed at high-risk parolees and their community networks, paired with efforts to present the justice system as fair and legitimate.
Since the first community court was created in 1993, a generation of judges, lawyers, and court staff have developed new strategies for working with those charged with low-level crimes. In this report, Brett Taylor shares lessons he learned first-hand from his years working as a defense attorney at the Red Hook Community Justice Center and helping other jurisdictions adapt the community courts model.
This fact sheet briefly describes Midtown Community Court's use of meaningful and visible community restitution projects in lieu of incarceration or fines. The focus is on projects undertaken in partnership with local residents, businesses, and criminal justice agencies, and on helping defendants reintegrate into the community.
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.
Private foundations are an overlooked resource for innovative justice programs. James H. Lewis, senior program officer and director of research and evaluation at the Chicago Community Trust, offers insight into how foundations make funding decisions and shares tips for attracting foundation investments in justice programs. The interview was conducted by the Center for Court Innovation's Director of Communications Robert V.
Judge John Leventhal is the author of “My Partner, My Enemy,” a book chronicling his experiences presiding over the Brooklyn Domestic Violence Court from its opening in June 1996 until 2008, the first felony domestic violence court in the nation.
