Policy & Systemic Reform

We look beyond individual struggles to identify and challenge entrenched injustice. We work for systemic reforms, genuine opportunities, as well as simple fairness and respect for our clients.

New York’s criminal, civil, and family justice systems are flawed. They are marked by deep racial bias and waste millions of dollars on failed solutions that harm communities and families instead of healing them. They trap individuals and families in cycles of court involvement. Through policy advocacy, grassroots coalitions, and impact litigation, we demand justice and fairness from the systems that circumscribe the lives of our clients and community.

The Bronx Defenders participates in the Drop the Rock Coalition, the New York Reentry Roundtable, and the Coalition for Women Prisoners, all of which advocate at the state and city level for decreased reliance on incarceration and increased investment in education and effective alternatives. We are also members of the New York City Discharge Planning Collaboration, an innovative partnership between government agencies and community-based organizations aimed at creating permanent pathways out of the city jail and homeless shelter systems. We also engage directly with state and city agencies and law-makers to directly address the legal and non-legal issues our clients face.