Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani announced today that Justine Olderman will serve as Criminal Justice Coordinator. Olderman currently teaches at New York University School of Law as a Distinguished Scholar in Residence and spent 23 years at The Bronx Defenders, including six years as Executive Director. She will report to the First Deputy Mayor.
Olderman will help advance the Mamdani administration's criminal justice agenda and oversee day-to-day operations of the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice. She will work closely with district attorneys, public defenders, courts, public safety agencies and the Department of Correction to reduce incarceration, strengthen community safety and improve fairness.
"Justine Olderman has spent her career standing alongside New Yorkers as they navigate a criminal legal system that too often falls short of the fairness and dignity every person deserves," said Mayor Mamdani. "Her commitment to justice and accountability reflects the values our administration is fighting for every day. We're proud to welcome Justine to our team, where she will help build a city in which justice is accessible to every New Yorker."
"We are excited to have Justine Olderman join our administration as Criminal Justice Coordinator. She has fought tirelessly to make our city's criminal justice system fairer and more equitable throughout her entire career - uniquely qualifying her to oversee this critical work for the administration," said First Deputy Mayor Dean Fuleihan.
"It is an honor to be joining Mayor Mamdani's administration to oversee criminal justice efforts," said Justine Olderman. "From the moment he stepped on the campaign trail, the Mayor has advocated for a more just version of New York City. A criminal legal system that is just and fair does more than respond to harm after the fact - it helps advance community safety. Delivering on that vision means bringing defenders, prosecutors, courts, city agencies and the communities most impacted to the table to align around shared goals. I have spent over 20 years working to improve our criminal legal system and am eager to bring that experience toward implementing the Mayor's agenda."
Olderman will advise the First Deputy Mayor on criminal justice policy and strategy. She will develop initiatives to reduce incarceration, improve outcomes for New Yorkers moving through the criminal justice system and evaluate policies and practices related to case processing and systems operations in partnership with stakeholders across the city.
About Justine Olderman
For more than two decades, Justine Olderman has worked to improve the criminal justice system and strengthen community safety. During her 23 years at The Bronx Defenders, she expanded access to legal services for more than 13,000 clients annually. In her final six years as Executive Director, she led a staff of 425 and managed a $65 million budget.
At the time of her appointment, Olderman served as a Distinguished Scholar in Residence at NYU School of Law, where she directs the Pretrial Freedom Lab, an initiative focused on reducing unnecessary pretrial detention. She previously worked as a Senior Research Scholar at NYU's Marron Institute of Urban Management, helping develop best practices for alternatives to incarceration.
Olderman graduated magna cum laude and Order of the Coif from New York University School of Law, where she received the George P. Faulk Memorial Award for Distinguished Scholarship. She clerked for the Honorable Robert J. Ward of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. She earned a bachelor's degree with highest honors from the University of Michigan, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
"Justine has dedicated her career to advancing fairness, strengthening communities, and improving outcomes for New Yorkers," said Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice Director Deanna Logan. "I personally had the benefit of working with her and know she is a collaborative leader who understands the power of government and community partnering to solve complex challenges and build lasting public safety. I look forward to working with her to continue advancing a safer, more just New York City for all."
"This appointment is a tremendous win for a fairer legal system and a safer city," said New York City Department of Correction Commissioner Stanley Richards. "Justine's years of experience in the community and the courtroom give her a 360-degree view of public safety. She knows that addressing people's needs before they result in arrest and incarceration will both reduce crime and decrease the number of people in jail and prison. She will be an essential partner in helping us close Rikers and create a justice system that is centered on the humanity of everyone involved."
"I am thrilled at the appointment of Justine Olderman as the Criminal Justice Coordinator. Her mission to improve fairness and equity in our city's criminal legal system while improving public safety and reducing the jail population is critical, and she has the track record that shows her dedication to get this done," said Close Rikers Czar Dana Kaplan. "I look forward to working with her as a close and key partner in the administrations commitment to close Rikers and for a new vision of public safety in New York City."
"I look forward to working with Justine Olderman in her new role as Criminal Justice Coordinator. As Bronx District Attorney and former Judge, I have seen firsthand her executive leadership, deep understanding of the impact of public policy, and passionate advocacy on behalf of defendants," said Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark. "I am confident that her past commitment to public service will now extend to victims of crime and communities across New York City that rely on a fair and effective criminal justice system for safety and well-being. While we serve different roles, we share the common goals of advancing equity, promoting accountability, and ensuring that public safety and justice are administered with both compassion and integrity."
"Justine has a great blend of on the ground criminal justice knowledge and management experience to serve as Criminal Justice Coordinator. Seeking justice while ensuring fairness within our multifaceted court system is more vital than ever, and I am excited that the Mayor appointed Justine to this critical position," said Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. "I look forward to working closely with her in the coming months to keep our city safe."
"Justine Olderman brings to this role something that cannot be taught - a career defined by a deep commitment to the people most impacted by the criminal legal system and an unwavering belief that public safety is built from the ground up through community, trust, and human dignity," said Tina Luongo, Chief Attorney of the Criminal Defense Practice at The Legal Aid Society. "Throughout Justine's career as a dedicated public defender, she has been a thoughtful and effective leader, advancing bold ideas while bringing people from differing viewpoints together to tackle some of the most difficult challenges facing our criminal legal system. Her values, vision, and creativity make her exceptionally well-suited for this role and for the work ahead. New Yorkers will be well served by her leadership, and I look forward to working with her in this critical role."
"Justine is an extraordinarily capable manager who is fair-minded, far-seeing and patient, indispensable qualities for this important and complicated position. Her past accomplishments demonstrate her deep commitment to justice and her creative spirit that will ensure New York City is always on the leading edge of making the city both safe and vibrant," said Elizabeth Glazer, founder of Vital City and former Director of the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice.
"I have had the pleasure of working with Justine Olderman for many years on criminal justice issues. Justine is extremely knowledgeable and talented, with an unswerving commitment to the pursuit of justice. I have every confidence that she will make an outstanding Criminal Justice Coordinator for the City of New York," said Honorable Jonathan Lippman, former Chief Judge of New York and Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals.
"On behalf of The Bronx Defenders, I am thrilled to congratulate Justine Olderman on her appointment as Criminal Justice Coordinator," said Juval O. Scott, Executive Director of The Bronx Defenders. "Throughout her career at The Bronx Defenders, from criminal defense attorney to my predecessor as Executive Director, Justine fought to make the legal system see what it too often ignores: the dignity, humanity, and potential in every person. That experience matters deeply in a role charged with helping the City deliver both justice and safety. Justine understands how one arrest can affect a person's family, housing, health, and future, and she has spent more than two decades building approaches that respond to people's full lives, prevent unnecessary system involvement, and create pathways to stability. At this critical moment for New York City, we are proud to see a lifelong public defender bring those values to City Hall, and we look forward to working with her to build a safer, fairer, and more just city for all New Yorkers."
