Greg Berman and Julian Adler: “Start Here: A Road Map to Reducing Mass Incarceration”

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Everyone knows that the United States leads the world in incarceration, and that our political process is gridlocked. But what can be done right now to reduce the number of people sent to jail and prison? This essential book from The New Press offers a concrete road map for both professionals and general readers who want to move from analysis to action. Written by Greg Berman, director of the Center for Court Innovation, and Julian Adler, the Center’s director of policy and research, this forward-looking book highlights key lessons from successful programs across the country—engaging the public in preventing crime, treating all defendants with dignity and respect, and linking people to effective community-based interventions rather than locking them up. Along the way, the authors tell a series of gripping stories, highlighting gang members who have gotten their lives back on track, judges who are transforming their courtrooms, and reformers around the country who are rethinking what justice looks like.

While Start Here offers no silver bullets, it does put forth a suite of proven reforms—from alternatives to bail to diversion programs for mentally ill defendants—that will improve the lives of thousands of people right now. Start Here is a must-read for everyone who wants to start dismantling mass incarceration without waiting for a revolution or permission. See here for an edited excerpt of the book exploring the lessons from Georgia’s recent efforts to curb its prison growth. Proceeds from sales of the book will support the Center for Court Innovation’s reform efforts.

Greg Berman is the director of the Center for Court Innovation. Part of the founding team responsible for creating the Center, he has helped guide the organization from start-up to an annual budget of more than $50 million. He has accepted numerous national awards on behalf of the Center, including the Peter F. Drucker Award for Non-profit Innovation. He is the author/co-author of Start Here: A Roadmap to Reducing Mass Incarceration (The New Press, 2018), Reducing Crime, Reducing Incarceration: Essays on Criminal Justice Innovation (Quid Pro Books, 2014), Trial & Error in Criminal Justice Reform: Learning from Failure (Urban Institute Press, 2010) and Good Courts: The Case for Problem-Solving Justice (The New Press, 2005). He has contributed to numerous books and periodicals, including The Wall Street Journal, New York Daily News, The Judges Journal (guest editor), New Statesman, The Guardian, Huffington Post, National Law Journal, and Chronicle of Philanthropy. Prior to being named director of the Center for Court Innovation in 2002, he served as deputy director of the Center and as the lead planner of the Red Hook Community Justice Center. In the early 1990s, while working for the New York Foundation, he created the New York Common Application, a universal form designed to expedite the foundation grant proposal process for community groups in the New York area. He has also worked in development (New Israel Fund) and as a freelance journalist (Providence Journal). He has served on numerous boards and task forces including: New York City Board of Correction (appointed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg), New York City Criminal Justice Agency, Wesleyan Center for Prison Education, Coro New York, Centre for Justice Innovation (chair), Sloan Public Service Awards, Poets House, Police Foundation, Mayor Bill de Blasio public safety transition team, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance transition team and the Independent Commission on New York City Criminal Justice and Incarceration Reform. He is a graduate of Wesleyan University and a former Coro Fellow in Public Affairs.

Julian Adler is the director of policy and research at the Center for Court Innovation. He oversees research, research and data implementation, research-practice strategies, and restorative practices, and he leads the Center’s work on a range of national criminal justice reform projects, including the MacArthur Foundation’s Safety and Justice Challenge and new initiatives in the areas of criminal justice debt reform and right to counsel. He is the co-author of Start Here: A Roadmap To Reducing Mass Incarceration (The New Press, 2018). He was previously the director of the Red Hook Community Justice Center in Brooklyn, New York and the lead planner of Brooklyn Justice Initiatives. He was also part of a small planning team that launched Newark Community Solutions, the first community court in New Jersey. He is a New York State licensed clinical social worker and attorney.