Advertise on podcast: In Practice, a Center for Court Innovation podcast

This recollection of the Midtown Community Court's beginnings in New York City in 1993 is just one of over 150 oral histories for the city-wide campaign called “Recalling 1993,” accessible exclusively through every surviving pay phone in Manhattan, in conjunction with the New Museum’s exhibition, “NYC 1993: Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star,” which features art made or shown in New York during that year.

The 10th graduation of the Harlem Reentry Court featured a special guest. “I was born in Harlem, and I grew up in Harlem and now at 82, I’m still in Harlem,” said Harry Belafonte, the singer, actor and activist, as he congratulated the Reentry Court’s 17 graduates on satisfying the program’s rigorous requirements. The Harlem Parole Reentry Court helps parolees returning from incarceration make the transition from life in prison to responsible citizenship. The court—a project of Harlem Community Justice Center, the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services and the Division of Parole—links parolees to a wide range of social services, including drug treatment, transitional employment and vocational services, health care and mental health treatment.

Lenore Lebron and Tia Pooler, researchers who oversee Data Analytics and Applied Research at the Center for Justice Innovation, discuss their ongoing efforts to oversee the use of the CCAT in the field. This includes a explaining how they collect data from the CCAT to identify trends and to monitor the continued accuracy of the tool and its responsiveness to the populations assessed by the CCAT. Tia and Lenore present recommendations for jurisdictions collecting and using their own data.

Arielle Freedman, Associate Director for Pretrial Clinical Practice at the Center for Justice Innovation, underscores the importance of using the CCAT interview as a starting point for building a foundation of trust and rapport with participants. She encourages practitioners to be nimble and person-centered in their work with participants. Practitioners should take participants' disclosures and experiences both seriously and supportively, while simultaneously keeping an eye towards self-assessment of the practitioner's own internal biases and projections.

Sarah Thompson, Therapeutic Court Coordinator of Spokane Municipal Court in Washington, discusses the administration of the CCAT by Spokane's 4-member therapeutic team to identify an individual's risk and need levels. Assessed risk and need levels then help determine how staff can most appropriately respond. In addition, Sarah explains how the CCAT interview is also a place to holistically hear from an individual, guiding staff as they identify more acute or more specific needs that staff can then work to directly address.

Juan Carlos Areán speaks with Amirthini Keefe, executive director of the Domestic Abuse Project (DAP) in Minneapolis, and Sadie Cunningham, intervention and prevention program therapist at DAP, about centering racial justice in abusive partner intervention programs and organizations. The group discusses how survivors and people who cause harm are affected by oppression and how centering racial justice can create holistic interventions for people who cause harm.

In this episode, Juan Carlos Areán of Futures Without Violence speaks with Jojopahmaria Nsoroma, owner and steward of Higher Expectations Consulting Collaborative, and James Encinas, Spanish program facilitator and trainer at the Family Peace Initiative, about the importance of self-reflection in facilitating abusive partner intervention programs. The group explores the ways in which engaging in ongoing self-reflection is an essential part of a facilitator's work in order to create a model of accountability for facilitators and participants alike.

Hosted by the Center for Justice Innovation and Futures Without Violence, this podcast series examines common facilitation challenges when engaging participants on intimate partner violence. You’ll hear strategies to collaborate with judges and court staff, prepare yourself for complex topics, and safely approach intimate partner violence in adult education.

Hosted by the Center for Justice Innovation and Futures Without Violence, this podcast series examines common facilitation challenges when engaging participants on intimate partner violence. You’ll hear strategies to collaborate with judges and court staff, prepare yourself for complex topics, and safely approach intimate partner violence in adult education.

Hosted by the Center for Justice Innovation and Futures Without Violence, this podcast series examines common facilitation challenges when engaging participants on intimate partner violence. You’ll hear strategies to collaborate with judges and court staff, prepare yourself for complex topics, and safely approach intimate partner violence in adult education.

Kathryn Ford, the Center’s Director of Child Witness Initiatives, speaks with Geri Wisner, a prosecutor from Oklahoma, and Jennifer Thompson, a victim advocate and counselor from Georgia, about how they have been using the Office for Victims of Crime's Child Victims and Witnesses Support Materials to inform and empower children as they interact with the justice system.

In domestic violence cases, courts frequently struggle with issues involving children. Back in 2015, Cook County, Ill., decided to create a program to specifically address this gap. The Child Relief Expediter Program provides a voluntary and confidential process to help parents with orders of protection, develop safe and effective visitation plans, and address other child-related issues. Over the years, the program has evolved and expanded to assist hundreds of parents on domestic violence cases. In this podcast, Cook County Judge Marina E. Ammendola and Child Relief Expediter Stephanie Senuta describe the benefits of the program and provide tips for courts interested in doing more.

In this limited podcast series, Melanie Thompson, survivor activist and advocate, leads discussion around what life can look like after being trafficked. Touching on both the challenges and the opportunities for young people who have experienced human trafficking, Melanie, in conversation with other survivor leaders, bring their perspectives to help inform and empower young people who are on their own journeys of healing. These podcasts were created to supplement the newly released graphic novels for young people who have experienced trafficking, published by the Office for Victims of Crime.  In this episode, Melanie Thompson is joined by Audrey Morrissey, associate director of My Life, My Choice Boston, to speak on their experiences of transitioning once a case has closed and the potential challenges and feelings that youth may experience. They also discuss resources to help with this transition, strategies for navigating relationships within systems, and the importance of providing youth with consistent and stable relationships.

In this limited podcast series, Melanie Thompson, survivor activist and advocate, leads discussion around what life can look like after being trafficked. Touching on both the challenges and the opportunities for young people who have experienced human trafficking, Melanie, in conversation with other survivor leaders, bring their perspectives to help inform and empower young people who are on their own journeys of healing. These podcasts were created to supplement the newly released graphic novels for young people who have experienced trafficking, published by the Office for Victims of Crime. Together, Nikki Bell, survivor activist and the founder of Living in Freedom Together, and Melanie Thompson talk about trust in the context of both the criminal legal and child welfare systems. They examine some of the challenges around privacy and confidentiality and trusting those who work in the system while also outlining ways young people can become confident in their own voice and power.

In this limited podcast series, Melanie Thompson, survivor activist and advocate, leads discussion around what life can look like after being trafficked. Touching on both the challenges and the opportunities for young people who have experienced human trafficking, Melanie, in conversation with other survivor leaders, bring their perspectives to help inform and empower young people who are on their own journeys of healing. These podcasts were created to supplement the newly released graphic novels for young people who have experienced trafficking, published by the Office for Victims of Crime.   Cristian Eduardo, survivor speaker and student, joins Melanie Thompson to discuss building community and creating opportunities for the future. Cristian brings his perspective on establishing relationships with supportive people, practical advice for young people on establishing boundaries and learning how to trust others, and thinking about future goals.