Sharing the Lessons of Failure in Criminal Justice Innovation

The Edward Byrne Memorial Discretionary Grants Program, administered by the Office of Justice Programs' (OJP's) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), furthers the Department's mission by assisting state and local jurisdictions in improving the criminal justice system and assisting communities in preventing drug abuse and crime. In fiscal year 2007, the Edward Byrne Memorial Discretionary Grants Program will focus on funding local, regional, and national efforts within six major categories: 1) targeting violent crime; 2) preventing crime and drug abuse; 3) enhancing local law enforcement; 4) enhancing local courts; 5) enhancing local corrections and offender reentry; and 6) facilitating justice information sharing. All categories combat, address, or otherwise respond to precipitous or extraordinary increases in crime, or in a type or types of crime.

The Fund for the City of New York /Center for Court Innovation ('The Center') will implement a comprehensive, national marketing strategy for sharing the important lessons learned in criminal justice innovations with the rest of the criminal justice community. The goals of this project are: (1) to gain a deeper understanding of failure; (2) to share the important lessons of failure with criminal justice practitioners across the country; and (3) to facilitate an open discussion about failure in criminal justice innovations. The goal is to take a deeper look at failed reform efforts and attempt to extract concrete lessons that might aid the next generation of innovators.

CA/NCF