This podcast includes observations from the presiding judge, Alex Calabrese, and short interviews by Director
of Communications Robert V. Wolf with the Brooklyn D.A.'s Chief Assistant District Attorney Anne Swern and Captain
Kenneth Corey, commander of the 76th Precinct.ROBERT V. WOLF:
Hi, I'm Rob Wolf, director of communications at the Center for Court Innovation. When the Red Hook Community
Justice Center was created in the year 2000, no one could predict its impact or how long it would last. But 10 years
later, we have some idea. Crime is down significantly, countless people from around the country
and the world have visited, and the Justice Center continues to innovate. What is the Justice
Center? At its core, it's a multi-jurisdictional courtroom that combines housing, family, and criminal cases
before a single judge, who has at his disposal not just conventional sanctions like fines and jail, but an array
of on-site social services to address issues like addiction, employment, and housing. Justice
Center staff hosted a small reception in April to celebrate the center's 10 year anniversary. Among the speakers
was Judge Alex Calabrese, who talked about the remarkable drop in crime in Red Hook. JUDGE
CALABRESE: Most importantly, in 2006 and 2007, the 76 precinct, our local precinct, had the highest
percentage in New York City. And the 2008, 2009 numbers have remained relatively flat and low. And
so when people feel safer, it raises public confidence in the justice system. And so when the traditional court system
had an 88 percent unfavorable rating before we opened, in a 2004 survey, 78 percent of the community gave a favorable
rating to the Justice Center and in a 2009 survey that number increased to 94 percent of community members giving
the Red Hook Community Justice Center a favorable rating. That's an amazing number if you
think about it. In fact, maybe it's time to retire because there's only one way that number can go WOLF:
After the judge and other speakers, I caught up with two people whose agencies are key collaborators in the center's
work: Kenneth Corey, Commander of the 76th precinct, and Anne Swern, First Assistant District Attorney to Brooklyn
D.A. Joe Hines. First Commander Corey. COREY: The Justice Center
is a tremendous asset for us, you know, from the host of programs that they provide to the alternative sentencing,
and just being a partner to us in this ongoing battle, so to speak, to keep the community safe. Just having this
one-stop shop, you know, where you know, the low-level crimes and the sentences, and the housing issues all get worked
out together by the same judge. The results speak for themselves. It's truly been tremendous. WOLF:
Well let me ask you, how long have you been a police officer? COREY:
22 years. WOLF: So 22 years ago, when you started, you know, what
was your thinking about how much influence the criminal justice system could have on quality of life in the community
and crime? COREY: 22 years ago, we didn't, we didn't focus
on community, on quality of life crimes at all. You know, it was all violent felonies and that was about it. You
know, we used to term it ‘Big Justice’ because you'd lock somebody up, they'd go through the revolving
door and be out the next day. You know, when I was—actually in the mid-90s I was a sergeant in the 72nd precinct,
which also sends cases here. And one of the biggest quality-of-life-type crimes we had was street prostitution along
3rd Avenue under the Gowanus Expressway. I had a team of cops, and we would lock up, without
exaggeration, more than 100 a month of prostitutes. And we'd lock them up on Monday night, and we'd lock
them up again on Tuesday night,
