Changing Court Building Community

The Supervised Release Program, within Bronx Community Solutions, held its first annual holiday drive event on December 18, 2018 at the Bronx Criminal Court House. The holiday drive was developed by Samantha Wynn and Elizabeth Beshears as a way to make the holidays brighter for a population of people who are often discriminated against. Toys, non-perishable food items, and clothing were collected for participants of the Supervised Release program; whose mission is to reduce the number of people held in jail simply because they cannot afford bail. Families affected by the judicial system face a multitude of hardships, so much so that extras like holiday gifts either become an afterthought or are, sadly, not even a thought at all. Thanks to donations received from Trader Joe’s, Food Bazaar, friends, family and employees of Bronx Community Solutions and the Center for Court Innovation, we were able to spread holiday cheer to more than 25 Supervised Release clients who participated i...

Bronx Youth Court Member and Alahna   What was it like to go through the training you attended with other Youth Court members this summer? My experience with the Youth Court training was fun. I was nervous because I hadn’t done anything like that before. It exposed me to a lot of things that I didn’t know about the law. And since the training this summer the other Youth Court members have become like family now. I really love all of them. Was there an instructor that connected or subject that resonated with you from this summer’s training? An instructor I really connected to was Ummer. We just clicked out of nowhere. A subject that really stuck out to me was what to do when you are stopped by the police. That really stayed with me. You’ve participated in some community events since becoming a Youth Court member. Is there anything that you would want the Bronx Youth Court to do for the community as you move forward? A community cleanup would be nice. I...

Bronx Youth Court Members with Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark (center)  The Restorative Justice team at Bronx Community Solutions has been conducting restorative circles in  since May 2018, and the community is already yearning for more opportunities. When conducting outreach for community member volunteers, community members often express that restorative justice is long overdue in the Bronx. Potential volunteers express an eagerness to participate in the program, and frequently ask if it is possible for them to refer members of the community who have been arrested. Khalil, one of our regular community member volunteers who is also heavily involved in community organizing and violence prevention in the Bronx, expressed his gratitude for the BCJ restorative circle model. Jason, another regular community member volunteer, has informed us that volunteering for circles has become a therapeutic outlet for him and that he enjoys being able to make connections with o...

Unexpected connections: Our two participants, Dario, a 19-year-old Latino man from the Bronx who was arrested for graffiti, and Lucas, a 28-year-old white man from Queens arrested for marijuana possession, initially appeared to have nothing in common. Despite their significant differences, the circle process helped the two men identify common points of connection, including the fact that Lucas was currently employed as electrical engineer, while Dario was hoping to join a union to become an engineer after having graduated high school. When discussing their reactions to their arrests, the two men described their drastically different experiences with law enforcement, and their shared desires to avoid future justice involvement. During the circle, both participants opened up about personal challenges they have experienced in their families and relationships, and the community member, Khalil, shared about the role that toxic masculinity has played in preventing himself and other men...

Bronx River Community Center Program Director Tomas Ramos accepts recognition award from Jennifer Petersen Tomas Ramos, Program Director for the Bronx River Community Center, has been one of the original three partners of Bronx Community Justice. Tomas has been a hands on collaborator since the first moment of hearing the idea of using restorative practices to solve the problems within the community.  He has offered space within the center to conduct restorative circles, encouraged staff members to participate in training sessions provided by Bronx Community Justice and has served as a volunteer for the program as well. Nearly one dozen participants have had their cases solved by sitting in circle and 15 residents of the community have been trained in restorative practices within this community center. Bronx Community Justice has now become a stable in the Bronx River community and it owed, in large part, to Tomas' leadership and passion for this effort. ...

Irvin Parra, Community Engagement Specialist In our inaugural "Getting to Know You" segment, I had the chance to catch up with one of Bronx Community Solutions newer staffers, Irvin Parra. We were able to have a brief but profound conversation about his role and what he hopes to contribute to our BCS family. Thank you so much for coming out to do this interview. I think you are one of, if not the last person to come to Bronx Community Solutions as a staff member. I wanted to give you a chance to tell the rest of your staff a little bit about your role and what you hope to contribute to the culture that exists here. I am a community engagement specialist/mentor. So, what I will be working on is creating/implementing a mentorship program within the Supervised Release Program (“SRP”) modeled after the mentorship program that exists in [the] clinical [department]. I’ll also be taking some inspiration from what is being done here with restorative justice. We’d like to i...