Join us, @CrimJusticeNYC and @CSG_JC on 8/12 at 1 pm ET for Supporting Crisis Stabilization for Youth and Young Adults During Reentry. Experts will provide guidance for justice professionals on how to limit future justice system involvement. Register now: buff.ly/0H06r98

“They've provided a space where he was able to consider the impact of his actions on others, and what can be done to prevent anything like that from happening again.” buff.ly/zrDy4RJ

What comes before safety? Accountability, connection, stability. For many, that begins with restorative justice. — CUNY Institute for State & Local Governance (ISLG)

Last year, around 2,000 people entered and were released from NYC’s jails every month. Tens of thousands more were redirected to community programs. The breadth of these systems ask: How do public…

islg.cuny.edu

Join @CrimJusticeNYC and @CSG_JC on 8/4 at 2PM ET for our upcoming webinar: Supporting Crisis Stabilization for Youth and Young Adults During Reentry. Learn more and register at: criminaljustice.cityofnewyork.us/event/jti-ho...

It's been a great first year of the Civic Engagement Fellowship at @cunyislg.bsky.social -- thrilled to be working with these wonderful CUNY alumni and community-based organizations! islg.cuny.edu/blog/after-o...

After One Year, Civic Engagement Fellows and South Bronx Community Organizations Celebrate the Past and the Future — CUNY Institute for State & Local Governance (ISLG)

Civic Engagement Fellows and their host organizations came together to both look back at the work done engaging and educating community members in the South Bronx over the first year.

islg.cuny.edu

Between 2021 and 2024, incarceration rates, booking rates, & average length of stay in local jails increased far higher for women than they did for men. Our The Hidden Crisis of Women in Jails brief examines women’s jail incarceration rates post-pandemic: buff.ly/3bRdO7E

TOMORROW: Join us, @CrimJusticeNYC and @CSG_JC on 8/4 at 2PM ET for a webinar focused on how to best support children of incarcerated parents. Researchers and practitioners will share their experiences in promoting family-centered practices. Register now: buff.ly/Vpx3jr9

Join us, @CrimJusticeNYC and @CSG_JC on 8/4 at 2 pm ET for our upcoming webinar Statewide Correctional Initiatives: Supporting Children with Incarcerated Parents. Learn more and register at: criminaljustice.cityofnewyork.us/event/jti-ho...

Last week, the NYC Council City voted in an 18.2% raise for elected officials. While possibly not the most politically popular, the increase was based in data and rooted in the goal of keeping public service roles competitive and accessible.

Join us, @CrimJusticeNYC and @CSG_JC on 8/4 at 2 pm ET for a webinar on how to best support children of incarcerated parents. Researchers and practitioners will share their experiences in promoting family-centered practices. Register now: buff.ly/Vpx3jr9

Post-pandemic, women are being incarcerated at higher rates and for longer periods of time compared to men—significantly more so for women of color. Our new brief, The Hidden Crisis of Women in Jails, examines the data behind these trends: buff.ly/3bRdO7E

One thing that everyone can agree on is that safety and security are crucial to thriving communities. Our Global Roots, Local Impact review found that communities with increased levels of immigration see lower crime rates nationwide. Learn more: islg.cuny.edu/resources/gl...

A recent survey from Circle at @Tufts.edu found that while only 62% of young adults think America is headed in the right direction, 89% said that they are willing to vote and participate.: circle.tufts.edu/latest-resea...

The 50 Million: Gen Z’s Power, Priorities, and Participation

Authors: CIRCLE Team, When We All Vote Team Ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, CIRCLE partnered with When We All Vote to release a national survey of 5,549 18- to 29-year-olds.

circle.tufts.edu

The criminal legal system is a driver of poor health, for both those incarcerated and law enforcement. A new fact sheet from @milbankfund.bsky.social suggests policies to reverse these effects. www.milbank.org/publications...

Fact Sheet: Policies to Address Criminal Justice as a Driver of Poor Health | Milbank Memorial Fund

The criminal justice system's influence on health includes not only direct physical harm, but also chronic stress, mental health crises, infectious disease transmission, and the erosion of community…

milbank.org

Healthcare affordability—especially for our aging populations—is a major issue for policymakers. Immigrants play a bigger role in stabilizing costs that than you might think. Learn more: islg.cuny.edu/resources/gl...

With local governments facing staffing crises, competition is rising for the next generation of civil leaders. Chattanooga, TN decided to change their approach to recruitment with a new website and emphasis on employee perspectives. From @NextCity.Org: nextcity.org/urbanist-new...

Local Government Has a Staffing Crisis. Here’s What Cities Can Learn From the Private Sector.

Op-ed: In Chattanooga, we’ve adopted a simple tool for employer branding to help rewrite its pitch for public service.

nextcity.org

Manhattan has seen a 60% drop in shootings and 64% decrease in homicides since 2021. @manhattanda.bsky.social spoke to @AMNewYork about his office’s efforts to continue this trend. www.amny.com/police-fire/...

Stopping violence before it starts: DA Bragg points to programs behind drops in Manhattan murders and shootings | amNewYork

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg says his office's efforts to prevent gun violence across the borough are bearing fruit, as the island is seeing sharp

amny.com

NY is the latest state to make a deal with AWS to streamline AI integration into public services. Especially with this expansion, states must ensure that AI use by gov’t agencies includes monitoring for compliance. www.govtech.com/artificial-i...

New York-AWS Deal Aims to Simplify Cloud, AI Procurement

State Information Technology Services officials said the enterprise agreement lowers costs, simplifies acquisition and expands access to AI tools and training for more than 130,000 state employees.

govtech.com

Earlier this week, NY became the first state to place a moratorium on data center construction. Gov. Hochul passed an executive order limiting construction of large data centers for 1 year and stressed the need for modernized regulations: apnews.com/article/new-...

New York won't build big data centers for a year as it weighs energy and climate risks

New York is blocking new large data centers that fuel artificial intelligence for up to a year to protect the environment and energy grid. Gov.

apnews.com

A big policy issue from the recent election, NYC’s Rent Guidelines Board recently passed a freeze on rent stabilized apartments. @Gothamist.com details what rent stabilization is and what it might mean for renters over the next 2 years: gothamist.com/news/gothami...

Gothamist’s guide to what NYC’s rent freeze means for you

Searching for the ever-elusive cheap rent in NYC? Want to know if you’re already in a rent-stabilized apartment and just don’t know it? Here’s our how-to.

gothamist.com

2025 saw gun violence decrease nationwide, continuing the post-COVID trend. @americanprogress.bsky.social detailed what cities have done to improve public safety—many of which were funded through now-canceled federal grants. www.americanprogress.org/article/what...

What City Leaders Say Is Helping Drive Down Gun Violence in Their Communities

Estimates suggest that 2025 marked another historic year of declining gun violence nationwide since the COVID-era surge. Here is what officials from cities seeing the largest declines in gun violence…

americanprogress.org

How do immigrants impact our local economies? Immigrants pay $16.80 for every $100 in tax money collected —a larger percentage than immigrants comprise of the population (15.4%, as of June 2025). Cut through the political divide and learn the facts: islg.cuny.edu/resources/gl...

East River Academy recently graduated 57 students in its 2026 class – students who earned their degree while incarcerated at Rikers Island. @Gothamist.com was at the graduation and spoke graduates & their families about the future. gothamist.com/news/from-fr...

‘From fracture to future’: Inside a graduation on Rikers Island

‘From fracture to future’: Inside a graduation on Rikers Island

gothamist.com

While they don’t always get the attention of larger cities, policy innovation is strong in smaller cities and counties as leaders find new ways to better serve their residents. Learn more in @Governing: www.governing.com/management-a...

Good Ideas that Come from Small Places

Towns, small cities and rural counties deal with the same issues as their larger cousins. Excited innovative leadership is key to their successes.

governing.com

“Everyone thinks restorative justice is only about peace and healing. It’s not. You need accountability. Before you have peace, there’s so many things you need to accomplish: understanding, accountability, and consequences. But it doesn’t have to be punitive.”

What comes before safety? Accountability, connection, stability. For many, that begins with restorative justice. — CUNY Institute for State & Local Governance (ISLG)

Last year, around 2,000 people entered and were released from NYC’s jails every month. Tens of thousands more were redirected to community programs. The breadth of these systems ask: How do public…

islg.cuny.edu

As we celebrate #America250, it’s impossible not to also celebrate the impact of immigrants. Last week’s Supreme Court decision affirms what our recent report laid out: immigrants make our cities and states stronger, safer, and more prosperous. Learn more: islg.cuny.edu/resources/gl...

The New York City and State budgets have now both officially passed, investing in @cuny.edu so students, employers, and New York at large reap the social and economic benefits. On our blog, we break down how CUNY finance leaders manage those (and many other) funds. buff.ly/n7GgLgv

Facing Political and Demographic Shifts, CUNY Financial Leaders are Strengthening Financial Practices — CUNY Institute for State & Local Governance (ISLG)

The CUNY system educates hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers a year and serving as a major social economic engine for the city. Managing the budgets of its 26 colleges is, thus, complex. ISLG’s…

islg.cuny.edu

As some state and local governments look to bolster revenues through changing property taxation, including New York City’s new pied-à-terre tax, others are taking a different route. Governing covers Florida’s efforts to largely eliminate property taxes. www.governing.com/urban/could-...

Could Florida Really Eliminate Property Taxes?

A new proposal from Gov. Ron DeSantis would shift billions in local government revenue and reshape how cities and counties fund core services.

governing.com

Federal cuts to public health and social services only add to the challenges for local governments. @iteptweets details policies that state and local governments are exploring to make up for massive revenue shortfalls & keep their budgets afloat. itep.org/local-govern...

Local Governments Are Increasingly Strapped: 2026 Will Bring New Challenges and New Opportunities

2025 saw an intensification of state and local tax fights across the country, as well as growing experimentation with local-option taxes, levies, fees, and tourism taxes aimed at keeping budgets…

itep.org

New York’s FY27 budget includes a massive investment in childcare, but lacks the funding needed to pay child care workers a living wage. As analysis for BUMP NY shows, increasing pay fills staffing gaps and ensures care www.newsfromthestates.com/article/ny-b...

NY Budget Brings Historic Child Care Investments — But Not for Its Workforce

Governor Kathy Hochul’s final budget agreement with the state legislature makes a landmark investment in child care — but advocates worry gaps in support could prevent low-income New Yorkers from…

newsfromthestates.com

RFP: ISLG & @manhattanda.bsky.social are seeking proposals from survivor-led organizations to help survivors of domestic and intimate partner violence in Manhattan access services, receive support, and remain safe. Applications are due 7/22. Learn more: buff.ly/ntr2biy