Inside Criminal Justice is a joint initiative of The Manhattan D.A. Academy, the Institute for Innovation in Prosecution at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and the Center for Justice. The initiative is a semester-long seminar comprised of individuals incarcerated at Queensboro Correctional Facility and prosecutors from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. The original model follows a six-week semester and uses a curriculum designed by Columbia University Psychology Professor Geraldine Downey. The course is intended to encourage in-depth and respectful conversation about the criminal justice system, culminating in jointly-authored policy proposals. The objective is to think together about a justice system that emphasizes public safety while supporting healthy development from birth to old age and makes engaged citizenship possible for everyone.
