[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 172 (Thursday, November 3, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1102]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          RECOGNIZING THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF JUDGE ALEX CALABRESE

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                        HON. NYDIA M. VELAZQUEZ

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, November 3, 2022

  Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the achievements of 
Judge Alex Calabrese, the presiding judge of the Red Hook Community 
Justice Center in my district in Brooklyn, New York. Judge Calabrese 
began his legal career as a public defender in the Legal Aid Society's 
Criminal Defense Practice and went on to serve as the court attorney 
for the Honorable Leslie Crocker Snyder. He was later appointed to the 
bench in 1997, presiding in Kings County Criminal Court prior to his 
tenure in Red Hook. While sitting through Kings County arraignments of 
low-level cases, he recognized the return appearances of those who had 
previously came before him. He began incorporating supportive services 
as part of sentencing including a follow-up approach which had not been 
done before. This brought him to the attention of Center for Court 
Innovation which was opening the Red Hook Community Court. As the first 
and only presiding judge in the Red Hook Court, Judge Calabrese handled 
cases from three jurisdictions: criminal, family, and housing, the 
first in the country to do so.
  Judge Calabrese kept to his belief in people, viewing each who came 
before him as unique and deserving of respect, and most of all, the 
opportunity to live up to their full potential. Under his leadership, 
he fostered the Peacemaking approach of the Navajo Nation where the 
community comes together as part of decision making. A key innovation 
is Red Hook Youth Court where young people are trained to serve as 
jurors, judges and advocates for their peers who have committed minor 
offenses. This approach helps restore the harm done in the community 
and ensure those involved receive the help they need to avoid getting 
caught up in the justice system, addressing early-on underlying issues 
that prompt criminal behavior in the first place.
  Judge Calabrese has shared his unique approach from the bench by 
presenting and teaching extensively, both nationally and 
internationally. Lord Woolf, Chief Judge of England and Whales said: 
``the Red Hook Courthouse is the finest example of restorative justice 
I have ever seen and should be emulated by courts throughout the world; 
then justice will truly have meaning.'' For his greater than two 
decades of service on the bench to reform justice in our communities, I 
recognize Judge Alex Calabrese for his invaluable service to us all.

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