In a new report, more than 100 young people in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, open up about why they carry guns. Their answer? Fear—for their own lives and the lives of their loved ones. Hear from the people who made the study happen—Javonte Alexander, Basaime Spate, and Elise White—our community researchers with personal ties to the social networks of the young people who shared their experiences.
In a joint effort to boost the fairness and efficiency of Connecticut’s legal system, the Center worked with the Connecticut Division of Criminal Justice to develop Moving Justice Forward—a step-by-step blueprint for meaningful change within the state’s prosecutors’ offices.
Our study of more than 100 young gun-carriers in Brooklyn identifies fear—for themselves and their loved ones—as the overwhelming factor behind the decision to carry. Under constant threat from other gun-carriers, as well as from police, and deprived of economic opportunities, participants describe a world with vanishingly few options. This report is part of a first-of-its-kind project using street participatory research to explore the socio-cultural roots of gun-carrying in U.S. cities.
Our knowledge about what works and what doesn’t in the field of justice reform has grown significantly in recent decades, but our willingness to pilot new initiatives has not kept pace. Through a focus on a pioneering New York City court, this article argues alternative-to-incarceration programs should follow the research and open participation to more charges, including violent ones, and seek to address a wider array of needs.
This multimedia toolkit has been developed for police and court professionals interested in enhancing or developing new or specialty programs serving people experiencing homelessness. The toolkit contains video, podcast, and written content.
Supervised Release is as effective as bail at ensuring people make their court appearances, sparing them the documented harms of pretrial detention and allowing them to receive supportive services in their community. In 2022, Supervised Release providers in New York City served about 17,000 participants.
The Statewide Drug Court Certification Toolkit was created to offer guidance and assistance to states creating a drug court certification process. This toolkit is specifically for adult drug court programs, but can be applied to other types of treatment court models. It features sample certification documents for users who are looking to create or enhance their statewide certification process.
As one component of the Strengthening the Foundation – A Researcher and Practitioner Partnership project funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, this research brief provides a snapshot of the existing evidence base behind the adult drug court model, while also identifying potential areas of interest to seed the next generation of drug court research. Our findings document the data-driven successes of the drug court model, the evidence-based mechanisms that are associated with positive participant outcomes, and lastly, our recommendations for future research.
Our 2022 Annual Report includes four videos spotlighting our impactful work in youth leadership and placemaking, housing justice, expanding alternatives to incarceration, and celebrating our 25 year anniversary.
"On every anniversary of Gideon, liberals bemoan the state of indigent defense." On this 60th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision granting a lawyer to every poor defendant facing prison time, there is much to bemoan. Yet as the harms of the criminal legal system come into sharper relief, there is a larger question: even if Gideon's promise was fulfilled, how much would that change who principally suffers under the current system: the poor and people of color?
