News and Notes from the New Year

I'm back again and ready to blog after a short break spent in Minnesota visiting my in-laws and entertaining my brother's family in Brooklyn. It feels like the new year is off to a good and productive start here at the Center for Court Innovation (famous last words, I know). Here are a few highlights from my in-box at the moment:

Brooklyn DA Joe Hynes talks about his vision for Brownsville, including plans for a new community court.

Assistant Attorney General Laurie Robinson steps down as the head of the Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs.

The Crime Report counts down the ten most important criminal justice stories of 2011.

The Bureau of Justice Assistance hosts a webinar on community justice featuring speakers from the Center for Court Innovation and the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys.

Finally, I managed to spend an hour yesterday reading a scholarly essay by Tracey Meares and Dan Kahan entitled "Laws and (Norms of) Order in the Inner City." Meares and Kahan write persuasively (at least to my mind) about how the justice system might make a positive impact on the culture and social organization of crime-plagued communities. I hope it is not just self-flattery, but I think that the work we are doing in places like Red Hook, Harlem, and Brownsville actually puts a lot of Meares and Kahan's ideas into practice.