A Stakeholder-Centered Approach to Segregation Reform

The Encouraging Innovation: Field-Initiated (FI) Program is funded under the Edward Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation program and a carve out from the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant Program that is aimed at combating extraordinary or precipitous increases in crime. The FI Program furthers the Department’s mission by trying new approaches, addressing gaps in responses, building or translating research knowledge, or building capacity to address the issues that bring fresh perspectives and ideas to enhance practices and prevent crime in the field.

New York University will utilize grant funds to address the problems of solitary confinement and segregated housing in correctional institutions. As an alternative, an engagement-focused, field-based approach has been demonstrated by BetaGov, a multidisciplinary team of faculty, researchers, and practitioners affiliated with New York University and UCLA. The approach to be applied in this project will increase knowledge about strategies that offer workable solutions that can be rapidly assessed in follow-on tests. The project will implement BetaGov's reproducible process of promoting stakeholder-led innovation to enable and support practitioners who will identify, implement and test innovations that can improve management of correctional facilities, reduce the use of segregation, and lessen the negative impacts of individuals released from segregation into communities. CA/NCF