The Vision of a Renewable Rikers Island in NYC
This community-developed plan could serve as a model for how to simultaneously decarcerate and decarbonize. Along, narrow bridge spanning the East River in New York City is the sole link between two realities. To the south, the familiar city skyline stands tall. To the north, walls of barbed wire enclose the site of an ongoing human […]
Watch: After Rikers: Course Change for People with Serious Mental Illness Panel Discussion
On March 25, The Greenburger Center for Social and Criminal Justice held a forum at Baruch College in which panelists discussed changes necessary to redesign delivery of Rikers’ mental health services in order to treat and stabilize people within a public health, rather than a criminal justice framework. The forum opened with a new, 15-minute […]
Watch: Staten Island DA Michael McMahon – Reckonings & Reforms: A Conversation about Serious Mental Illness
Watch Greenburger Center for Justice Executive Director Cheryl Roberts in conversation with Staten Island DA Michael McMahon. Together, they explore initiatives aimed at addressing the challenges faced by individuals with mental health conditions within legal frameworks. He emphasizes the importance of community-based approaches and the need for systemic reforms to better support those affected by […]
Watch: Dads Making a Difference in Mental Health Advocacy: Why these Dads have HOPE and you should too!
In our “Dads Making a Difference in Mental Health Advocacy” panel, our panelists Norm Ornstein, co-founder of the Matthew Harris Ornstein Memorial Foundation; Garen Staglin, co-founder of One Mind; and Chris Thomas, co-founder & CEO of The Defensive Line shared their lived experiences of mental illness in their families and talked about what gives them […]
Watch: NYC’s Defenders In Conversation About The Criminalization of Mental Illness & Bail Reform
In this compelling panel discussion presented by the Greenburger Center for Justice and John Jay College of Criminal Justice, leading public defenders from across New York City—including representatives from The Bronx Defenders, Brooklyn Defender Services, and The Legal Aid Society—convene to examine the intersection of serious mental illness and the criminal justice system. The conversation […]
Watch: Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez – Reckonings & Reforms: A Conversation about Serious Mental Illness
Watch Greenburger Center for Justice Executive Director Cheryl Roberts in conversation with Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez. Reflecting on his experience leading one of the nation’s most progressive prosecutor’s offices, DA Gonzalez discusses initiatives like the Brooklyn Mental Health Court and the Justice 2020 Initiative, which aims to provide alternatives to incarceration and address systemic disparities. […]
Watch: Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance – Reckonings & Reforms: A Conversation about Serious Mental Illness
Watch Greenburger Center for Justice Executive Director Cheryl Roberts in conversation with Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance. Drawing from his tenure, DA Vance explores initiatives aimed at reducing unnecessary incarceration, such as the establishment of Manhattan’s first Mental Health Court and the implementation of alternatives to incarceration programs. He emphasizes the importance of community-based justice models […]
Watch: Bronx DA Darcel Clark – Reckonings & Reforms: A Conversation about Serious Mental Illness
Watch Greenburger Center for Justice Executive Director Cheryl Roberts in conversation with Bronx DA Darcel Clark. Listen as DA Clark shares her perspective on the urgent need to rethink how the justice system interacts with individuals living with serious mental illness. Drawing from her experience in one of the busiest and most impacted boroughs, DA […]
Watch: Queens DA Melinda Katz – Reckonings & Reforms: A Conversation about Serious Mental Illness
Watch Greenburger Center for Justice Executive Director Cheryl Roberts in conversation with Queens DA Melinda Katz. This conversation delves into the intersection of serious mental illness and the criminal justice system, highlighting the challenges faced by individuals with mental health conditions within legal frameworks. DA Katz discusses initiatives and reforms aimed at addressing these challenges, […]
Watch: Voices of Those Accused of Sexual Offenses & Lessons Learned from Those who Defend Them
In the final part of our From Sexual Health to Sexual Harm series, Executive Director Cheryl Roberts is joined by Nick Dubin, Elizabeth Kelley and Gilberto Laboy to discuss their involvement in the criminal justice system.
Watch: Voices of Survivors. What Survivors Need and How to Prevent Victimization
In Part Seven of our From Sexual Health to Sexual Harm series, Executive Director Cheryl Roberts is joined by Cynthia Alvarado, David Garlock and Katheryn Robb to share their lived experiences and discuss what survivors of sexual assault need and how to prevent victimization.
Watch: Sex and Incarceration: What Happens When Someone is Incarcerated for a Sex Offense? Is Sexual Health Possible While Incarcerated? What can be Done to Reform the System?
In Part Six of our From Sexual Health to Sexual Harm series, Executive Director Cheryl Roberts is joined by Stephanie Convington, Brian Fischer and Arthur “Cetewayo” Johnson to discuss what happens when a person is incarcerated for a sex offense, whether sexual health is possible while incarcerated and ways to reform the system.
Watch: When Sexual Behaviors Lead to Sex Crimes and Confronting Confirmation Bias
In Part Five of our From Sexual Health to Sexual Harm series, Executive Director Cheryl Roberts is joined by attorneys Karen Friedman Agnifilo, Isabelle A. Kirshner, and Andrea Zellan to discuss what happens when sexual behavior lead to sex crimes and how to confront confirmation bias.
Watch: Sex and Autism: The Criminalization of Autism Spectrum Disorder
In Part Four of our From Sexual Health to Sexual Harm series, Executive Director Cheryl Roberts is joined by Dr. Isabelle Henault and criminal defense attorney Mark Mahoney to discuss sex, Autism and the criminalization of ASD.
Watch: Atypical Sexual Interests, Hypersexuality, and Paraphilic Disorders. What’s the Difference & is Treatment Effective?
In Part Three of our From Sexual Health to Sexual Harm series, Executive Director Cheryl Roberts is joined by Dr. Meg Kaplan and Dr. Richard Krueger to discuss atypical sexual interests, hypersexuality and paraphilic disorders.
Watch: Sex Addiction: Is it real? What does it mean? What can you do about it?
In Part Two of our From Sexual Health to Sexual Harm series, Executive Director Cheryl Roberts is joined by Dr. Ken Rosenberg and Dr. Meg Kaplan to discuss sex addiction, when it crosses the line into criminal behavior and what can be done about it.
Watch: What is Sexual Health, What are Sexual Health Conversations & When Does Sex Become Unhealthy?
Introducing From Sexual Health to Sexual Harm, an eight-part series brought to you by the Greenburger Center for Justice. In this series, viewers will learn from sexual health experts, survivors with lived experience, advocates, attorneys, justice involved people, psychologists and more. Each week, our panelists and GCJ Executive Director Cheryl Roberts will discuss topics ranging […]
Out now – NEW Episode of Justice Speaks: Neurodiversity on Trial: ASD & The Justice System
In this episode of Justice Speaks, Executive Director Cheryl Roberts explores the intersection of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and the criminal justice system. Joined by clinical psychologist and author Dr. Isabelle Hénault, attorney and advocate Mark Mahoney, and father-son duo Nick and Larry Dubin, the conversation delves into how individuals with ASD may be uniquely […]
Class Dismissed: Zicklin School Hosts Panel on Civil Litigation Reform
Did you know that if you found out your drinking water was contaminated with carcinogens and you joined a class action lawsuit against the polluter, you’d be very unlikely to win damages unless you could prove you had cancer that was caused by the water? That’s the implication of a 2021 U.S. Supreme Court case, TransUnion LLC […]
Sexual Harm & Restorative Justice: Does it work?
Kathryn Robb directs the Children’s Justice Campaign at Enough Abuse. She is a lawyer and legislative advocate who has been fighting to pass meaningful child sex abuse legislation across the country for over 2 decades. She is a national expert on Statute of Limitations reform/elimination aimed at providing justice for survivors, accountability for abusers and […]
Watch: Access to Justice: A Panel Discussion on Civil Litigation Reform
Everyday, Americans face legal challenges related to physical injury or financial loss from unsafe or defective products, unfair evictions, construction defects, deceptive debt collection practices and more. In a vast majority of these cases, whether wealthy or not, people have either no, or a limited ability to vindicate their rights in court. The inability to […]
Introducing Justice Speaks – A New Podcast Hosted by The Greenburger Center
Welcome to Justice Speaks: Controversial Conversations on Crime, hosted by the Greenburger Center for Justice. Here, we dive deep into the pressing issues and reform efforts that are reshaping our criminal justice and mental health systems. Each episode tackles difficult topics offering fact based and unfiltered discussions on the challenges and changes needed to create […]
Roberts NYDN Op-Ed: Mental illness: a great leveler
As the executive director of the Greenburger Center, I have listened while parents describe the terror and heartbreak of watching a child experience and respond to hallucinations, delusions or visual distortions. I understand not only their heartbreak, but the terror of their children. My children and I have Todd’s Syndrome, more commonly known as Alice in Wonderland […]
Film screening of David Feige’s film Untouchable
On Monday, November 18, we welcomed Director David Feige to New York Law School for a private screening of Untouchable followed by a Q&A. This programming was part of our larger Sex Crimes & Punishment Series. Untouchable is streaming on Peacock.
Roberts NYDN Op-Ed: Sex offender rules need reform
The Jacob Wetterling Act of 1994 mandated creation of “sex offender registries” for use by law enforcement. (Shutterstock) By CHERYL ROBERTS When it comes to criminal justice reform, people with serious mental illness are sometimes called the “third rail.” Those assumed too hot to handle and least deserving of reforms. They’re the people The Greenburger Center aims to […]
Roberts NYDN Op-Ed: Aaron Garcia has serious mental illness, not a mental health challenge NYDN
Mayor de Blasio’s recent characterization of Aaron Garcia as having a “mental health challenge” downplays the realities of the disease and is unfortunately emblematic of his approach to people living with serious, untreated mental illness. The next mayor must make a change. Garcia is of course the man who attacked Miguel Solorzano at an ATM […]
The Greenburger Center is at Work in Upstate NY!
In July 2020, Hudson City Mayor Kamal Johnson asked the Greenburger Center to facilitate a Sequential Intercept Model (SIM) mapping Task Force in Columbia County to identify the County’s mental health and substance use disorder service gaps. The request was the result of an Executive Order issued by the Mayor in response to the murder […]
Roberts NYDN Op-Ed: The evil twins harming our mental health
In 1965, Medicaid was enacted to ensure that at least some low-income people had access to health care. From the start, incarcerated low-income people were flatly excluded from coverage. A bipartisan bill re-introduced by Reps. Annie Kuster (D-N.H.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), and co-sponsored by Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), could change that. The Humane Correction […]
DAs Hold Key to Diverting Defendants & Closing Rikers
The New York Daily News featured an Op Ed by Len Elmore, retired basketball player, lawyer, sports commentator and Greenburger Center Board of Advisor. Elmore’s Op Ed follows: It was a striking sight: Four of New York City’s five district attorneys gathered earlier this month at a forum sponsored by the Daily News, Greenburger […]
Roberts NYDN Op-Ed: Hard lessons from Daniel Prude’s death
Daniel Prude represents the most at-risk group of Americans to be killed in an encounter with police: a Black male living with a serious mental illness. When police are summoned to so-called Emotionally Disturbed Person (EDP) calls, the results are often deadly. Nationwide, at least a quarter and maybe as high as half of those killed by police had mental illness. But […]
