On March 1, 2026, the Manhattan Supervised Release Program (MSRP) at CASES marked its tenth anniversary. Operated in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice (MOCJ) and known internally as Pretrial Services, the program has grown from a modest, experimental initiative into one of the largest pretrial services programs in the country, supporting thousands of New Yorkers as they successfully navigate the court process while remaining in their communities.
CASES MSRP began in 2016 with a small team and a large responsibility. When CASES assumed operation of the program, we inherited roughly 75 cases from the prior provider. As Program Director Giles Malieckal recalls, the early days felt like “adding pieces to the aircraft while airborne.” The courts were still building trust in the model. Systems were evolving in real time. Staff worked out of a repurposed conference room, contending with unreliable internet and dropped calls. Yet even amid logistical hurdles, something foundational was taking shape: a program rooted in accountability, dignity and the belief that it is unacceptable for legally innocent people to sit in jail simply because they cannot afford bail.
Ms. Tataria Burns was MSRP’s first staff member, helping to lay the foundation for what would become a model for community-based supervision. In those early days, the small team stepped into uncharted territory. With only a handful of practitioners, they created processes, built relationships with the courts, and ensured that participants received meaningful support. Court reminders were made. Check-ins were consistent. Referrals to job training, treatment and counseling were thoughtfully coordinated. What might have looked experimental from the outside was, at its core, a disciplined and values-driven effort to show that community supervision could work in a city as large and as complex as New York.
Over the past decade, the broader legal landscape has shifted dramatically. In 2019, New York enacted sweeping bail reform legislation that ended the use of money bail and pretrial detention for most misdemeanors and many nonviolent felonies, making release the default in the majority of cases. Although subsequent legislative revisions scaled back the initial reforms, the fundamental shift away from income-based detention reshaped court practice. In this new environment, supervised release programs like the one at CASES became even more central to ensuring that people returned to court and remained stable in the community while their cases were pending.
The data tells a powerful story. Since the citywide expansion of supervised release in 2016, tens of thousands of people have been diverted from pretrial detention in New York City. The vast majority return to court, and the overwhelming majority are not rearrested while awaiting case resolution. These outcomes underscore what practitioners have long understood: when individuals are supported in maintaining employment, housing and family ties, public safety and fairness move forward together.
The program’s growth has not always been linear. There were periods of rapid expansion, particularly as reforms took hold and referrals increased. There were moments when staffing had to catch up to caseloads, and times when new legislation required swift operational adaptation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the team reimagined how to deliver direct services in a remote environment, preserving human connection through screens and phone calls when in-person meetings were impossible. Each challenge required creativity and resilience, qualities that both staff and participants brought in abundance.
As MSRP evolved, CASES recognized that young people participating in supervised release often needed specialized services and mentorship to succeed. In January 2023, with support from the Robin Hood Foundation, CASES launched Planning Alternatives and Creating Community (PACC) to strengthen services for youth and young adults in the program. PACC added credible messenger mentors and specialized, evidence-based support, along with transitional employment opportunities, significantly expanding the program’s ability to meet participants’ needs. By building these tailored services into the supervised release model, CASES deepened its commitment to participant-centered support and strengthened the continuum of care available through its court-based programs.
At its heart, this anniversary is about people. It’s about Ms. Burns welcoming the first participants through CASES’ doors. It is about the early team members who built systems from scratch and earned the confidence of judges and court staff. It is about the practitioners who balanced accountability with empathy, and about the participants who chose stability and forward movement during uncertain moments in their lives.
The past decade has demonstrated that detention need not be the default response to poverty, that structured community support can achieve high rates of court return, and that investments in supervised release infrastructure yield tangible public benefits. As CASES commemorates this ten-year milestone with spirit week events, staff appreciation activities, and a culminating town hall at the end of March, the MSRP team will be looking forward and imagining the possibilities for the next decade of pretrial services in New York City.
Ten years ago, the CASES Manhattan Supervised Release Program was learning how to fly. Today, it stands as proof that when courts trust communities and invest in people, safer and more effective alternatives to jail are possible. What began as a small pilot is now a cornerstone of New York City’s approach to pretrial justice, helping thousands of New Yorkers return to court while staying connected to their families, jobs, and communities. The lesson from the past decade is clear: justice works best when it combines accountability with support, and when people are given the opportunity to move forward rather than be pushed further into the system.
