Introduction
For more information on what happens during the path of a case, visit Criminal Court 101.
A black woman in her mid-30's wearing a blazer and slacks introduces herself to a group of people gathered for an organizer’s meeting in a community space. She says: “Hey all! My name is Esther. I was born in Haiti, but I’ve lived in New York City for the last decade with my kids and sister.” The group listens as Esther continues. “As a black woman and migrant, I always knew the criminal “justice” system…what many of us call the criminal punishment system…is rigged. But I didn’t start organizing against it until after I caught a pretty serious court case. Like most people, I didn’t know how the court process worked until I went through it, much less how punishing it was at every step.”