Human Rights & Reconciliation Race & Criminal Justice Reform
Taking Aim at Racial Injustice
United States | 2010 - 2014
One in three black men in the United States can expect to spend time in prison in their lifetime and Hispanic men are almost four times as likely to go to prison at some point in their lives as non-Hispanic white males. To help reduce racial bias in the criminal justice system, Atlantic invested $16.4 million over 5 years to collect data, do research and support organizations well-poised to capitalize on opportune moments to change hearts, minds and policies.
What We Learned From This Work
A lot can be accomplished in a short amount of time when you pool funding resources with other foundations. Pool funding offered a number of advantages in this work: ensured donor coordination, enhanced grantee cooperation and flexibility to rapidly target funds to timely opportunities.
Harness the power of data by commissioning research, using findings to embed the case for reform in a logical argument, packaging data in multiple formats for a variety of uses, and timing the release to coincide with mobilizing events.
A strategic communications component is necessary to ensure messaging and framing is aligned with campaign goals.
Scoring in Courts of Law and Public Opinion
Here's some of the ways our grantees have succeeded bringing fairness to the criminal justice system:
Legal Victory
A federal court ruled in a class action lawsuit that the New York City Police Department’s “Stop and Frisk” violated Fourth and 14th Amendment protections.
Advocacy Win
New York City enacted the Community Safety Act, which provides additional oversight of the Police Department and expands New Yorkers’ ability to sue over racial profiling by officers.
Success at the Polls
California voters approved the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Act, a sentencing reform ballot initiative designed to reduce incarceration levels and penalties for non-violent low-level crimes.
Here’s Who’s Helping Write The Next Chapter In This Continuing Story
Changing the Story About Racial Injustice
Summaries of Case Studies, Evaluations & Reports
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From the Streets to the Courts to City Hall: A Case Study of a Comprehensive Campaign to Reform Stop-and-Frisk in New York City
Source: Communities United for Police Reform
This case study explores how Communities United for Police Reform (CPR) successfully campaigned to end stop-and-frisk abuses in New York City. Stop-and-frisk is a practice of police officers stopping individuals they deem suspicious, questioning them, and frequently frisking them for weapons and other contraband. Out…
Resource type: Case Study
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Race and Prosecution in Manhattan
Source: Vera Institute of Justice
Race is a factor in criminal case outcomes in Manhattan, according to this report from the Vera Institute of Justice. Vera partnered with the District Attorney of New York on a two-year study examining racial and ethnic disparities in Manhattan criminal case outcomes. The study, which analyzed…
Resource type: Research Report
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Race and Punishment
Source: The Sentencing Project
White Americans’ strong association of crime with blacks and Latinos is related to their support for punitive policies that disproportionately impact people of color. Synthesizing two decades of research, this report from The Sentencing Project concludes that racial perceptions of crime are a central cause…
Resource type: Research Report
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Stop and Frisk: The Human Impact
Source: Center for Constitutional Rights
The New York City Police Department's aggressive stop-and-frisk practices are having a profound effect on individuals, groups and communities across the city. In this report, the Center for Constitutional Rights, an Atlantic grantee, documents some of the human stories behind the staggering statistics and sheds…
Resource type: Research Report
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Stop, Question and Frisk Policing Practices in New York City: A Primer
Source: Center on Race, Crime and Justice at John Jay College
This primer, funded by Atlantic and the Open Society Foundation, presents extensive statistics about the troubling police practice of stopping, questioning, and frisking pedestrians in New York City.The NumbersData show stops tend to be concentrated in a handful of police precincts and that the vast…
Resource type: Research Report
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