Can other approaches create safer communities, while avoiding some of the harms of policing? Recent studies have provided support for the notion that the existence or strengthening of nonprofit neighborhood organizations — whether or not they are directly aimed at reducing violence — can have a dramatic effect, particularly on homicides.

Elected officials also face an obstacle course of requests, demands, and options on every issue imaginable; through this, it’s important to remember that following the data is the surest way to build a fairer criminal legal system with a smaller footprint.

Throughout the program, MEP staff worked to support youth with learning disabilities and ensure that they could thrive academically. The program also facilitated collaboration across sectors and organizations to best serve participants’ needs.

The talk series brought together leaders from across the criminal legal field, including prosecutors, defense attorneys, former judges, and service providers to discuss how to safely reduce reliance on incarceration while keeping the community safe.

Domestic violence can take on many forms—and financial control is one of them, with 94-99 percent of domestic violence survivors experiencing economic abuse. In New York City, many organizations offer services that help survivors overcome these issues by establishing financial security and facilitating opportunities, including many that are part of the Criminal Justice Investment Initiative.

In New York, the conversation around the 2019 legislation that reformed bail and other pretrial policies mainly focuses on how the legislation impacted judges and police officers, and subsequently public safety and crime rates. But behind the noise lies the fact that there is little data on how the criminal legal system agencies put the various provisions into practice.

Throughout the program, MLP staff worked to support youth with learning disabilities and ensure that they could thrive academically. The program also facilitated collaboration across sectors and organizations to best serve participants’ needs.

Beyond the financial benefits of the program, investing in families also has long-term social benefits that could be even more valuable. Ensuring that students in New York have equitable access to special education services and accommodations is thus beneficial financially and socially.

Jurisdictions across the country can learn from efforts to study probation violations in-depth. A new report on probation violations as a driver of jail time in St. Louis County, Missouri shows that expediated probation programs have much to offer and can work to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in the system.

When it comes to fixing the societal problems that may lead to crime, it’s well understood that the overreliance on incarceration—especially local jails—is deeply inadequate. However, there is very little known about how to reduce that overreliance on local jails.

This unprecedented influx of immigration and the challenges that come with it mean these immigrants—especially those with families—face unique and complex challenges when navigating housing, legal, and other social service systems. These challenges are even greater for immigrants who are experiencing or are survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV).