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Thursday, September 15, 2016
Friday, August 12, 2016
Newark
Youth Court Joins Forces with Newark Youth Ambassadors to Illustrate Unity
Thursday, August 11, 2016
The Newark Municipal Council Chambers was the
warmest place to be last night and not because of the heat wave. The Newark Youth Court and the Mayor’s Newark
Youth Ambassadors joined forces to help the Newark African Commission honor renowned
sociologist Dr. LaFrancis Roger-Rose at their “Unity Forum” event. There were
several dignitaries in attendance, including Council President Mildred C. Crump
and Kate Ihuoma –Igbodike, Consul
to the Consulate General of Nigeria in New York.
Zoe Nicole Copeland and
Genique Turner of the Newark Youth Court and Diamond Golson of the Newark Youth
Ambassadors read a poem together titled Prayer
to Masks by celebrated Senegalese statesman and poet Leopold Sédar Senghor. They were warmly greeted by cheers
from the audience who showed their delight by applauding at several points
during the reading. The Forum also featured a panel discussion on cultural
identity titled Are We All Africans? NCS Program Coordinator, Wynnie-Fred Victor
Hinds, also a member of the Newark African Commission, helped coordinate the
event and was joined by Newark Youth Court Case Developer Basimah Caldwell. NCS Re-Entry Case Manager, Latania Cobb and Alternative
Sanctions intern Nicauris Hernandez, provided moral support with cheers from
the audience. All in all, the whole process
was an inspiring illustration of the positive impact of effective collaboration
and teamwork.
Monday, August 1, 2016
Monday, June 6, 2016
from the Director's desk:
NADCP Conference in Anaheim, CA
The 2016 National Association of Drug Court Professionals
Conference brought together more than 5,000 treatment court professionals from
across the United States to discuss addiction, mental health, recovery and
criminal justice reform. This year I was
honored to moderate a panel titled, Meeting the Need: Innovative Methods for Working with
Court Involved Mental Health Consumers. The panel featured Newark Municipal Court Chief Judge
Victoria Pratt and the Hon. Judge Verna Leath from the Essex County Superior Court, Criminal Division. As both Judges preside over alternative
sentencing programs, Newark Community Solutions at the municipal level and the Essex County Prosecutor's Office Mental Health
Diversion Program at the superior court level, they are uniquely positioned to
impact this vulnerable and often underserved population. Highlights of the discussion included the
importance of clear communication with both court staff and participants,
setting realistic goals and expectations and the value of a positive courtroom
culture with the tone set from the bench.
Thank you to Judge Pratt and Judge Leath for the amazing work you do and for sharing your wisdom with the conference crowd. It was a wonderful experience and a truly inspiring event.
KMB
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Friday, April 22, 2016
Newark Community Solutions
Community Advisory Board
Spring Meeting
Newark Community Solutions held its first Advisory Board meeting of the year at the Newark Municipal Court on Thursday, April 21. Community members, social service providers, educators, law enforcement, court staff, and legal partners attended the meeting. Municipal Court Director James Simpson welcomed the attendees and Chief Judge Victoria F. Pratt followed with opening remarks. Project Director Kelly Mulligan-Brown kicked off the meeting by providing newcomers with an overview of Newark Community Solutions and highlighted the importance of the program’s partnerships with the Newark Municipal Court and City of Newark. Newark Community Solutions staff then presented on their work with the Community Court, Newark Youth Court, and Newark United Against Violence.
Stay tuned for details for the next meeting at the and of the summer!
Saturday, April 16, 2016
Community Justice 2016 International Summit
The Center for Court Innovation, in partnership with the
U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance,
hosted the Community Justice 2016 International Summit in Chicago from April 13
to April 15, 2016.
The conference convened an international audience of
practitioners and researchers, who explored some of today's most pressing
issues and promising ideas in criminal justice reform. Topics included
community engagement, jail reduction, risk/needs assessments,
substance use and mental disorders, procedural justice and legitimacy,
restorative justice, and young adult justice.
Newark was well represented by
Municipal Court Chief Judge Victoria Pratt who kicked off day two of the
conference with an engaging presentation detailing the importance of procedural
justice, the idea that how defendants feel about the justice system
is tied more to their perception of fairness about the process and how they
were treated rather than the outcome of their case. Judge
Pratt emphasized how this "simple idea" can revolutionize the way the
judicial system relates to the public it serves by employing basic principles of
dignity and respect. Later in the day, NCS
Project Director Kelly Mulligan-Brown moderated a panel titled, Activating Public Space:
Creative Approaches to Community Service. The panel highlighted creative
community service programming in Dallas, TX, Hartford, CT and Brownsville, NY.
For more information, including a
full conference agenda and more event photos, please see the CCI event page:
http://www.courtinnovation.org/center-court-innovation-hosts-community-justice-2016
Friday, February 19, 2016
Newark Youth Court celebrated the induction of 12 new members last night! Check out this great article from BrickCityLive.com with all the details.
Tenth class of Newark Youth Court members inducted last night at City Hall
Thursday, December 17, 2015
It's That Time of Year Again!
This past weekend Newark Community Solutions held its Fifth
Annual Holiday Gift Drive "Wrap Party." This year our drive
supported the Angel Tree Network, a program
that facilitates holiday season gift donations to children with at least
one incarcerated parent, as well as families in the Newark YMCA Emergency
Residence program. Over 150 gifts were donated by Newark City employees as well
as local organizations including the GI Go Fund, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc.,
and Sigma Phi Rho Fraternity Inc. Volunteers and staff mingled, snacked
and wrapped all morning and in the afternoon Newark families began arriving to
pick up the gifts. Once again Newark Youth Court members invited all kids
in attendance to their arts and crafts station where they decorated sugar
cookies and made festive ornaments with beads, popsicle sticks and pipe
cleaners (no glitter this year ;-)
The
YMCA also worked with local favorite Tops Diner who donated delicious desserts for
our families and volunteers - best carrot cake EVER!
Thanks
again to all our staff and volunteers who participated – it gets better every
year!
Happy Holidays from our Newark
Community Solutions Family
See you in 2016!
Thursday, December 10, 2015
From the desk of Colleen Smith
NCS Clinical Coordinator
NCS Clinical Coordinator
When people ask me
about my role at Newark Community Solutions, I tell them I am charged with
helping people seek the resources they need to reach their goals- get a job,
kick a drug habit, seek treatment for a deepening depression and, of course, stay
out of jail. So when my clients run into walls, I feel like I do
too. Last Friday, I felt like my clients and I faced a new wall at
every turn.
Need shelter? No
beds. Emergency assistance? No proof of ID. Mental health
treatment? No insurance. By the end of the day, I was exhausted and
left wondering about our impact on a population with so many challenges.
But later that
evening, my phone rang. It was a Newark police officer telling me he
found a man “talking outside his head.” The officer found Newark
Community Solutions paperwork on the man so he gave me a call for more
information. I was able to give the officer a bit of background, an
emergency contact number, and an address. He brought our client to the
hospital for further evaluation and was able to notify his family.
This officer’s actions
epitomize community policing. Furthermore, he was able to use a court-based
program to respond effectively and compassionately to a citizen in need. After
a day of hitting walls this officer reminded me that when we work together we can
open a lot of doors.
Monday, November 23, 2015
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
from the desk of the Project Director:
President Obama in Newark
President Obama in Newark
Newark was BUZZING
with excitement on Monday, November 2nd as President Obama
arrived to highlight the City’s contributions toward national criminal justice
reform. The President first met with staff and participants from New
Jersey largest non-profit substance abuse treatment provider, Integrity House,
as well as the Federal Reentry Court’s ReNew program where federal parolees are
closely monitored but also supported by the court in obtaining housing,
employment, education and other social supports. Next on the agenda was a
rousing speech at the Rutgers University Center for Law and Justice. The
President introduced new federal grant
funding for the reentry population and called on Congress to "ban the
box" for federal job applications. He also praised Newark based
initiatives that are making a real difference in the lives of ex-offenders
stating, "You can't help but feel hopeful
about the future."
But for me, perhaps the
most exciting part of the President’s address was the fact that two of our
Newark United Against Violence participants, Mr. Elijah Battle and Mr. Isa
Poole, were invited to attend. Elijah even got to shake the
President’s hand! Selected because of their tremendous work and personal growth
since joining NUAV, Isa and Elijah truly exemplify what individuals can achieve
when given a second chance.
After the speech, Isa
and Elijah joined CCI Director of New Jersey Programs, Jethro Antoine, and
Chief Newark Municipal Court Judge, Hon. Victoria Pratt, for an evening
roundtable discussion highlighting the efforts of My Brother’s Keeper Newark
(MBKN) to reduce violence in the city and promote opportunities for young men
of color. The
event was led by William Simpson, Director, My Brother’s Keeper Newark and
included Mayor Ras J. Baraka, Lata Reddy, President, Prudential Foundation; and
Broderick Johnson, Assistant to the President and Cabinet Secretary, MBK Task
Force Chair.
It was a momentous day
for Newark and so invigorating to see a national spotlight on the great work
being done in this city.
More information:
White House Fact Sheet
on the President's speech
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/11/02/fact-sheet-president-obama-announces-new-actions-promote-rehabilitation
2014 Star Ledger Op-Ed
by US Attorney Paul Fishman about the ReNew program.
http://www.nj.com/opinion/index.ssf/2014/07/post_24.html
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
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Good Luck Class of 2015!
The Newark Youth Court kicked off the summer on a bittersweet
note by holding the annual graduation ceremony for 5 seniors, who are all
currently in their first year of college! The ceremony and cookout was held at
Newark Community Solutions’ anti-violence project, Newark United Against
Violence (NUAV). The ceremony featured a keynote address by senior Naa Adei
Kotey. The other graduating seniors (Zaire Brown, Kianna George, Bria Pitts,
& Michael McGibbon) gave remarks and advice to younger members. Seniors
received goody bags filled with school supplies donated by Newark Community
Solutions and Newark Municipal Court staff members. The event also included a
live DJ and dance party for the graduates!
Newark Municipal Court's Summer Enrichment Mock Trial with La
Casa de Don Pedro
As part of our annual summer service project, our Youth Court
members and interns prepared 2nd graders at La Casa de Don Pedro’s Summer
Enrichment program for their own mock trial. Members used the New Jersey State
Bar Foundation's mock trial guide to help them lead sessions with the students.
The "The Case of the Missing Puppy" mock trial event
was hosted and sponsored by the Newark Municipal Court with Chief Judge
Victoria Pratt presiding. For many of the students it was their first time in a
real life courthouse! At the end of the event, participants asked Judge Pratt
questions about her career and had the opportunity to try on her robe in the
judge’s chair!
National Night Out and Mural
In 2014, our Youth Court members worked with Newark Community
Solutions’ to create a theme and mural design for its adopt-a-lot garden in the
West Ward. Youth Court members presented their anti-violence theme and design
at NCS’s National Night Out event last year. The mural was then unveiled at
NCS’s 2015 National Night Out. Youth Court members and respondents prepped the
wall for local artist Gregg Banks, who brought the Youth Court’s vision to
life!
9th Class Training & Induction
The Newark Youth Court also held its 9th training class this
summer! A special thank you to our guest trainers: Laura Cohen, Esq. and Dr.
Paul Boxer (Center for Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, Rutgers-Newark);
Det. Sequoya Martin (Newark Police Department- Youth Aid Section); and France
Casseus, Esq. and Herbert Washington, Esq. (Newark Municipal Court-Prosecutor’s
Office).
An induction ceremony was held for the new members and included
a keynote address from Dean Kenya Tyson of Rutgers-Newark School of Criminal
Justice and remarks by Newark Municipal Council President Mildred Crump and
Councilman at-Large Carlos Gonzalez. Chief Judge Victoria Pratt administered
the oath and provided encouraging words. Welcome Class 9!
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Thursday, July 9, 2015
Newark Community Solutions in the News
Check out these two recent articles about how Newark Community Solutions is helping other communities and justice practitioners think about community justice.
The Guardian - The simple idea that could transform US criminal justice
New Jersey Jewish News - Israeli judge visits Newark courts
The Guardian - The simple idea that could transform US criminal justice
New Jersey Jewish News - Israeli judge visits Newark courts
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
2015 Men of Color Summit
Newark United Against Violence Program Coordinator, Cassandra
Dock, as well as the Midtown Community Court Deputy Director, Jeff Hobbs,
participated on a panel along with the Newark Office of Reentry Manager, Fred
Murphy; Guazabara Insights CEO, Dennis Febo; and Hudson Partnership CMO
Director, Stephen Campos. The panel,
moderated by the Director of the Office of Community Justice for the State of
New Jersey, Wanda Moore, explored the difficulties of community reintegration
for the Reentry population. In front of
an audience that included several NUAV participants, Cassandra and Jeff
highlighted the unique hardships faced by fathers including co-parenting after
incarceration, the challenges of child support, and methods to avoid the “generational
curse.”
CCI’s Director of New Jersey Programs, Jethro Antoine, also participated by moderating a panel titled “Public Safety & Reconnecting Our Youth” which included Newark Police Director, Eugene Venable.
The vibe of the summit was overwhelmingly positive with a message
that change is possible through collaboration.
Check out the links below for additional information about the Men of Color Summit and My Brother's Keeper-Newark as well as the Midtown Community Court.
http://www.ci.newark.nj.us/brothers-keeper-newark/
http://www.courtinnovation.org/project/midtown-community-court
Monday, April 27, 2015
Newark Youth Court Law Day Celebration
Check out the Newark
Youth Court Facebook page for more details and pictures. Special thanks to CCI’s Associate Director of
Youth Justice Programs, Linda Baird, for all of her help and support getting this event off the ground.
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