Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law

At an NYU Law Forum entitled, "The State of the Death Penalty: Fifty Years After Furman," Vincent Southerland (left) moderated a panel featuring Aren Adjoian and Alexis Hoag-Fordjour '08.
Jason Williamson led a breakout session at the 2023 Race Center Convening, hosted at NYU Law.
The center's public conversation on New York's Chief Judge vacancy featured New York State Senator Brad Hoylman, Noah Rosenblum, Alice Fontier, and Tolu Lawal.
One of the Center's public conversations on parole justice included (from left) Steve Zeidman, New York State Assemblymember Maritza Davila, Jose Saldana, Nawanna Snipe, and TeAna Taylor.

About Us

The Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law confronts the laws, policies, and practices that lead to oppression, marginalization, and injustice. We believe that the racism that permeates our present day legal system has deep roots. By documenting the history of racism in America, elevating the stories of those affected by race-based inequality, and rigorously applying a racial lens to analyze unremitting disparities, we identify actionable, forward-looking solutions to address the injustices caused by racism and then take action.

Our Work

Narrative Change

Criminal Legal System

Social & Economic Justice

Technology

Initiative for Community Power

Programs for Students

Read our 2024 Annual Report (PDF: 5 MB).

Excessive Sentencers: Using Appellate Decisions to Enhance Judicial Transparency Report

In New York, appellate courts review sentences for excessiveness and can reduce them in the “interest of justice,” a rare and clear signal—from highly-respected institutional actors—that a lower court judge made an exceptionally troubling choice. This report, released in partnership by the Center and Scrutinize, assesses appellate court decisions to reduce sentences, revealing patterns of excessive sentencing by individual judges and raising questions about judicial accountability in New York.

Read the full report here.

Recent Work

The Center's 2024 Addendum: Freedom Delayed, Justice Denied: Increasing Racial Disparities in New York State’s Parole Release Decisions (PDF: 287 KB) finds that the vast racial disparities in parole release rates have only worsened in recent years.

The Center's 2023 Addendum to the Problem with Parole: New York State's Failing System of Release shows that racial disparities in parole release decisions have continued to worsen since 2021.

Racial Segregation in Housing Policy (PDF: 20.7 MB) highlights some of the present-day policies and practices that continue to perpetuate a racial caste system in the United States.

Building Safe, Thriving Communities: Research-Based Strategies for Public Safety (PDF: 7.11 MB) lays out a new path for public safety using research-based strategies in policing, prosecution, and sentencing.

The Problem with Parole: New York's Failing System of Release makes policy recommendations to transform the parole system, putting redemption and rehabilitation first.