Episodes

Drug addiction is fundamentally a public health issue, says Michael Botticelli, acting director of National Drug Control Policy, in this New Thinking podcast. Botticelli explains why law enforcement must work in tandem with public health to address addiction and how his own personal experience with addiction informs his work. In keynote remarks at Community Justice 2014, Michael Botticelli discusses the importance of public health strategies in addressing drug addiction. (April 2014) MICHAE...

Professor Edward J. Latessa, director of the School of Criminal Justice at the University of Cincinnati, discusses the importance of evidence-based practices and the challenges of implementing reform. (April 2014) Edward J. Latessa conducts a session on Evidence-Based Approaches to Alternatives to Incarceration at Community Justice 2014. ED LATESSA: I always tell people you know, you think it’s easy to change behavior, try to change it around, it’s not an easy thing to do. And that’s certa...

Judge Braden C. Woods of the San Francisco Community Justice Center discusses the practical implications of expanding the court’s caseload to include low-level felonies, and he reflects on his first year on the job. (April 2014) JUDGE BRADEN WOODS: This is a great assignment because every day I’m enthusiastic about going to work and trying to help somebody get out of the system instead of just recycling themselves at the hall of justice and at our county jail. ROBERT V. WOLF: Hi, I’m Rob ...

Denise O’Donnell, director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, discusses the Bureau’s strategic mission and holistic approach to justice reform. She also outlines the Bureau’s new suite of Smart on Crime programs. Denise O’Donnell, director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, delivers the keynote address at the opening of Community Justice 2014. (April 2014) DENISE O’DONNELL: We see reducing recidivism and reducing unnecessary confinement as going hand in hand with making our communiti...

The Stopping Hate and Delinquency by Empowering Students (SHADES) program is a teen court focusing on bullying and bias incidents. The program is run as a partnership of the Los Angeles Superior Court, Department of Probation, and the Museum of Tolerance. In this episode of New Thinking, David S. Wesley, presiding judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court, and Camilo Cruz, director of community relations for the Los Angeles Superior Court, discuss the growth of the city’s teen court program a...

Judge Stephanie L. Rhoades, who helped found and has presided over the Anchorage Mental Health Court since 1998, and Kathi R. Trawver, associate professor of the School of Social Work at the University of Alaska, Anchorage, discuss the court’s origins, accomplishments and lessons. They co-authored “Homesteading a Pioneering Mental Health Court: A Judicial Perspective from the Last Frontier” for American Behavioral Scientist. ROBERT V. WOLF: Hi, I’m Rob Wolf, Director of Communications at ...

QUEST Futures is a juvenile mental health initiative that seeks to establish a comprehensive, coordinated response to youth with mental illness involved in the juvenile justice system in Queens, New York. Here, researcher Josephine Hahn discusses the findings of an impact evaluation of the program. (February 2014) SARAH SCHWEIG: Hi, I’m Sarah Schweig, of the Center for Court Innovation, and today I’m talking with Josy Hahn, the author of new research about a special program that works with...

Judges Carolyn Minder and James Cawthon preside over the Ada County Domestic Violence Court in Boise, Idaho. The court is one of three domestic violence courts in the U.S. selected by the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women to serve as a mentor court, helping other courts develop more effective responses to domestic violence. In this episode of New Thinking, the judges explain how they divide their duties, work closely with the community, and promote rapid disposition of...

The Harlem Justice Corps is an intensive career development and service program for justice-involved young men and women. Project Manager Tai Alex explains how the initiative works, and participants Elijah Blount and Anthony Brown discuss what they’ve learned so far. [Opening music] ELIJAH BLOUNT: And I learned the seriousness of working because they say it’s hard to get a job, but now as I’m going through the motions in business, it’s hard to keep a job. That’s one thing I learned. [As...

Cynthia G. Lee and David B. Rottman, researchers from the National Center for State Courts, discuss some of the key findings in their new report, A Community Court Grows in Brooklyn: A Comprehensive Evaluation of the Red Hook Community Justice Center. (November 2013) ROBERT V. WOLF: [Opening theme music] I’m Rob Wolf, director of communications at the Center for Court Innovation, and today’s New Thinking podcast is about research and the Red Hook Community Justice Center. On the phone with ...

The Center for Court Innovation celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Midtown Community Court with speeches by New York State Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman, Center for Court Innovation Director Greg Berman, and others. ROBERT V. WOLF: Hi, I’m Rob Wolf, director of communications at the Center for Court Innovation. Tonight I’m at the Morgan Library and Museum in Manhattan to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Midtown community Court. Over 250 people have turned out—judges, city and state ...

Andree Mattix, director of social services at Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office, discusses how a customized technology application helps her staff track data and clients in the D.A.’s diversion, victim-witness, and domestic violence programs. ROBERT V. WOLF: Hi, I’m Rob Wolf, director of communications at the Center for Court Innovation, and today’s New Thinking podcast is focusing on technology, specifically how the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office in New Orleans uses tec...

Judge Michael Bordallo of the Family Violence Court in Guam discusses his specialized court, including challenges and opportunities faced by the court and stakeholders. The judge also offers a unique perspective on responding to domestic violence in an island community. (September 2013) KATIE CRANK: Hi, this is Katie Crank, from the Center for Court Innovation’s domestic violence team. Following is a New Thinking podcast with Judge Michael Bordallo of the Guam Family Violence Court. The co...

The National Drug Court Online Learning System at www.drugcourtline.org offers free training modules on a wide range of topics by national experts. In this podcast, Valerie Raine and Dennis Reilly, both of the Center for Court Innovation, explain how drug courts can use the system to educate new employees and keep their teams up to date on developments in the field. (August 2013) VALERIE RAINE: Methamphetamine is not an issue for eastern drug courts. It’s a huge issue for Midwest and Midwes...

Chief Magistrate Judge Berryl Anderson of DeKalb County, Georgia discusses the lessons she has learned over the course of 21 years as an attorney and 13 years as a judge about working with victims of domestic violence and improving the justice system’s response to intimate partner violence. July 2013 SARAH SCHWEIG: Hi, I’m Sarah Schweig, and today I’m speaking with Chief Magistrate Judge Berryl Anderson, who has been leading a domestic violence court project in DeKalb County, Georgia. She’s ...

Co-authors Michael Rempel and Suvi Hynynen Lambson discuss the findings of their study, The Adolescent Diversion Program: A First Year Evaluation of Alternatives to Conventional Case Processing for Defendants Ages 16 and 17 in New York. The study examines the Adolescent Diversion Program, finding that diverting youth to services does not increase recidivism rates and, in fact, reduces recidivism for high-risk participants. [Opening Music] MIKE REMPEL: When you give intensive treatments to h...

Family Court judges should consider the impact of violence on families when making decisions about child custody and visitation, according to Kristine Lizdas, a managing attorney at the Battered Women’s Justice Project. In this podcast, Lizdas discusses the Justice Project’s four-part model for helping judges make more informed decisions. Kristine Lizdas, left, of the Battered Women’s Justice Project and Robyn Mazur of the Center for Court Innovation confer after Lizdas’ presentation at the...

Shannon M. Carey of NPC Research discusses the impact of the Rockefeller Drug Law Reform, which in 2009 eliminated New York’s mandatory prison sentences for most felony drug offenders. According to a study she co-authored, court-ordered treatment enrollment after the reform was implemented in 2009 increased by 77 percent. Also, the study estimated that there would be a potential $2 of newly available resources after five years for every taxpayer dollar invested. May 2013 ROB WOLF: Hi, I’m...

Acting Supreme Court Judge Kelly O’Neill Levy discusses her transition from Bronx Family Court to the Harlem Community Justice Center, where she applies problem-solving strategies to both family and housing cases. May 2013 Judge Kelly O’Neill Levy discusses a case with her law clerk and resource coordinator. JUDGE KELLY O’NEILL LEVY: Always remember that the person who is before you—that the problem they’re coming to court with could be the most important problem they have in their lives. ...

Christine H. Lindquist, a senior research sociologist at RTI International, talks about reentry courts, recidivism, and what she’s learned so far from a multi-year study funded by the US Department of Justice. April 2013 CHRISTINE LINDQUIST: Reentry courts really have a talent in terms of delivering all of the needed services to a diverse population. ROBERT V. WOLF: I’m Rob Wolf, director of communications at the Center for Court Innovation, and on this New Thinking podcast we’re talking a...

Tania Sourdin, a professor of law and dispute resolution at Monash University in Melbourne, explains how the Australian Centre for Justice Innovation, which she directs, supports reform through research and experimental projects.

Kevin G. Kelly, deputy commissioner of NYC Business Customer Service in the New York City Mayor’s Office, discusses how the city uses technology to improve efficiency and radically restructure how businesses interact with government. January 2013 KEVIN KELLY: Create a new operating normal so that there is no other way to do it. And that’s really the way to use powerful levers like technology to make changes that don’t roll back. ROB WOLF: I’m Rob Wolf, director of communication at the Cent...

Authors of new research about gun violence in Brooklyn, New York, Sarah Picard-Fritsche and Lenore Cerniglia discuss findings on Save Our Streets (SOS) Crown Heights, an approach to gun violence prevention in the Crown Heights neighborhood. The new report, “Testing a Public Health Approach to Gun Violence,” details a comprehensive impact and process evaluation of Save Our Streets, which is based on the Cure Violence model that treats outbreaks of violence like epidemics of disease. Additio...

Judge Joseph Gubbay, who presides over one of nine pilot sites of the Adolescent Diversion Program, explains how the initiative is expanding the justice system’s options for dealing with 16- and 17-year-old defendants, who are currently treated under New York law as adults, even for non-violent offenses. Kings County (N.Y.) Justice Joseph Gubbay presides over the Brooklyn pilot of the Adolescent Diversion Program. ROB WOLF: Welcome to New Thinking. I’m Rob Wolf, Director of Communication at ...