New Thinking, from the Center for Justice Innovation

Latest Episodes:

Reducing Incarceration Now: A Conversation About ‘Start Here’ Mar 07, 2018

Show notes

On our 'New Thinking' podcast, hear from Greg Berman and Julian Adler, the co-authors of our book from the New Press, Start Here: A Road Map to Reducing Mass Incarceration.

Renewing Justice: When the Library Becomes a Community Court Feb 21, 2018

Show notes

Since 2016, the community court in Eugene, Oregon, has met every week in the downtown library. It's part of an effort getting a lot of attention on the West Coast to bring problem-solving justice to friendlier settings. On our 'New Thinking' podcast, hear about Eugene's success with the new model.

Project SAFE: Improving Services for Criminalized Black Women Jan 10, 2018

Show notes

On our 'New Thinking' podcast, Afua Addo, our coordinator of Gender and Justice Initiatives, explains our project aiding justice-involved black women who are survivors of intimate partner violence and sexual assault.

Designing Decarceration: Architect Deanna Van Buren Oct 17, 2017

Show notes

On our New Thinking podcast, the Oakland-based architect explains her firm’s mission to use design to counter incarceration and promote the use of restorative justice. She also discusses her work on our Near Westside Peacemaking Center in Syracuse, N.Y.

Improving Access to Civil Justice: A Conversation with Jordan Dressler Aug 15, 2017

Show notes

Jordan Dressler, the director of the recently created New York City Office of Civil Justice, discusses Mayor Bill de Blasio's ambitious five-year plan to provide free or low-cost legal assistance to every low-income New Yorker facing eviction, deportation, or other potentially life-altering civil proceedings. The interview focuses in detail on the benefits this guarantee is expected to have on tenants confronting landlords in Housing Court (the latter almost always represented by lawyers). Hosting this episode of New Thinking are Ignacio Jaureguilorda, director of Poverty Justice Solutions, our program that seeks to close the justice gap in Housing Court, and Robert V. Wolf, the Center for Court Innovation's director of communications.

Using Volunteers to Evaluate the Courtroom Experience: A Conversation about CourtWatch of King County, Wash. Jun 15, 2017

Show notes

Court observation programs around the country send volunteers into courts to observe, collect data, and sometimes issue reports about what they've seen. Their goals include keeping courts accountable to the public and improving transparency, but not all courts are eager to receive public feedback. CourtWatch of King County, Washington, has worked closely with its local courts since the program's founding, trying to build a relationship that is more collaborative than adversarial. As Laura Jones, manager, and Mary Laskowski, services and outreach coordinator, explain to New Thinking host Robert V. Wolf, this collaborative approach has allowed CourtWatch to support judges and court administrators in efforts to improve the court experience for everyone.

This podcast was supported by Grant No. 2015-TA-AX-K023 awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, or recommendations expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.

Reducing New York City’s Jail Population Mar 23, 2017

Show notes

New York City’s incarceration rates have been dropping steadily, but a new report from the Center for Court Innovation, in collaboration with the Vera Institute of Justice, suggests the city’s jail population can still be brought significantly lower. The report looks in detail at key decision-points along the path from arrest through bail to sentencing and makes concrete suggestions for how to improve the system, especially for those defendants detained awaiting trial. In this New Thinking podcast, Matt Watkins speaks with Michael Rempel, the report’s lead author and the Center’s research director.

Problem-Solving in L.A.: Multiple Issues, One Collaborative Court Jan 16, 2017

Show notes

In this New Thinking podcast, Judge Marcelita Haynes of the Los Angeles Superior Court talks with Matt Watkins about Community Collaborative Courts, the county’s new approach to problem-solving justice. Judge Haynes says the courts look for long-term solutions to a range of problems—from mental health issues to homelessness—that can fuel repeated contact with the criminal legal system.

Seeking Evidence: A Professor Looks for Empirical Proof to Improve Access to Justice Dec 16, 2016

Show notes

In this New Thinking podcast, Harvard Law School Professor James Greiner talks with Aubrey Fox about why he launched the Access to Justice Lab, which has researched topics as varied as how to provide self-help materials to defendants involved in civil debt collection cases to the effectiveness of commonly used pretrial assessment interview tools in criminal court. Greiner also discusses what he sees as a strategy for improving the legal profession's openness to evidence-based thinking.