At The Legal Aid Society our Civil, Criminal Defense, Juvenile Rights, and Pro Bono practices work tirelessly in and out of the courtroom to defend our clients and dismantle the hidden, systemic barriers that can prevent them from thriving in New York City. We seek to be a beacon of hope for those who feel neglected —regardless of who they are, where they come from, or how they identify. Our experienced teams provide comprehensive services, support, and advocacy that protect rights, keep families and communitiess together, and in many cases, saves lives. We have an intrinsic connection to the daily lives of New Yorkers. Here are a few of the places we made a difference, provided context or added valuable perspective this week.

NYDN: Ex-NYPD chief Juanita Holmes shifts Probation Department focus
NYT: When Social Security Becomes a Debt Collector
NYT: Chaos, Fury, Mistakes: 600 Days Inside New York’s Migrant Crisis
NYT: Rikers Detainees Were Kept Locked in Cells After Fire Broke Out
Finger Lake: Rent-stabilization bill signed into law
AP: Inmates were locked in cells during April fire that injured 20 at NYC’s Rikers Island
NYDN: Aspiring Harlem rapper who turned himself in gets clemency
Gothamist: NYC jail staff shut off sprinkler system before April fire at Rikers, report finds
NYDN: Rikers Island detainees locked in cells as sprinkler system failed in blaze
City & State: Ahead of Christmas, Hochul grants pardons and commutations to 16 people
The Real Deal: Hochul signs rent bill that landlords call “disaster”
CBS2: NYC Mayor issues new requirements for charter buses carrying asylum seekers
MSNBC: Flooding NYC’s subways with police cost millions — and didn’t fix anything
Brooklyn Daily Eagle: NYC Council passes resolution supporting parole reforms
NYT: How Rikers Island Became New York’s Largest Mental Institution
Brooklyn Daily Eagle: Rikers Island fire exposes serious mismanagement, report finds
NYT: In Bid to Slow Migrant Surge, Adams Restricts Bus Arrivals Into New York
CBS2: More than 7,000 asylum seekers have arrived in New York City in last 2 weeks
Queens Daily Eagle: No sprinklers or guards as detainees were trapped during Rikers fire