New York City

News

NYC paid $160 million in settlements under Child Victims Act

Payouts were mostly for cases filed against the Department of Education, as former investigators at an independent watchdog claimed they were told to reverse substantiated allegations of child sex abuse.

Opinion

Opinion

Commentary: Fostering empathy and compassion within carceral spaces

How we as social workers are understanding and mitigating these impacts.

New York City

Opinion

Opinion: Is it possible to get the effort to close Rikers Island back on track?

The troubled jail’s closure has been cast adrift in a sea of half truths, bad ideas and polarized debate.

New York State

News

Criminal justice reform push comes as state budget negotiations drag on

Advocates join in a call for passing a package of bills that make it easier to challenge wrongful convictions and ease financial burdens on incarcerated persons and their families.

New York City

News

After PR stunts, damning reports and a new lawsuit, judge sets stage for potential federal takeover of Rikers next year

Federal judge Laura Taylor Swain is losing patience with the city Department of Correction, which has now come under fire from the court-appointed federal monitor, Legal Aid Society, federal prosecutors, city comptroller and Board of Correction.

New York City

News

More people have died in New York City jails than previously known

Since 2014, at least 120 people held in city jails have died while in custody or shortly after being released on medical grounds – but some of those deaths have gone unreported.

New York City

News

Here's how parents are really treated on Rikers

Unable to exercise their parental rights, incarcerated fathers and mothers can often feel isolated from their children.

New York City

News

What needs to change at Rikers? Everything.

We asked more than a dozen criminal justice experts. They urged staying the course on borough-based jails – and many called for a federal takeover of Rikers in the meantime.

New York State

News

NYC comptroller says old criminal convictions cost city residents nearly $2.4 billion in annual wages

The Legislature only has a few more days left to pass the Clean Slate Act, which would seal old criminal convictions.

Nonprofits

News

Advocates call for the passage of Daniel’s Law in Albany

The legislation if passed would remove police officers as first responders to mental health crises.

Nonprofits

Opinion

Opinion: How a court’s mission aligned with its response to Superstorm Sandy

The Red Hook Community Justice Center took the same holistic approach to overcoming challenges in the criminal justice system when Superstorm Sandy hit ten years ago.

Policy

News

Advocates and electeds call for an end to solitary confinement as City Council discusses a bill to curtail the controversial practice

So far, no policy decisions have yet made progress in stopping jail officials from isolating incarcerated people.

Nonprofits

Opinion

Preventing reimprisonment of formerly incarcerated individuals starts with higher-paying jobs

The city should work with unions and re-entry providers to create work opportunities that facilitate and track long-term success.

Criminal justice

News

Critics say New York’s new gun control law will fuel mass incarceration

When the old law was ruled unconstitutional, public defenders had hoped that the Legislature could craft a better law.

Opinion

Opinion

Thousands of detained New Yorkers are eligible to vote. Few likely will.

A lack of reporting and adequate voter assistance materials that plagues jail facilities throughout the state leaves doubts that many incarcerated individuals will cast ballots in the upcoming primary elections

Policy

News

How New York’s highest court has veered right

A new four-judge bloc has consistently voted together in the most recent term, impacting criminal defendants, workers and people suing police

Criminal justice

Opinion

Reform doesn’t stop at the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act

Criminalized domestic abuse survivors call for the passing of legislation that will end mandatory minimums and grant a second look when being sentenced in court.