NYC Justice Corps

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The NYC Justice Corps aims to reduce poverty and recidivism among young adults, ages 18-24, who have been involved in the justice system by setting them on a path toward higher levels of education, dignified work, and meaningful participation in civic life. NYC Justice Corps is aligned with the Mayor’s Career Pathways report as a pre-bridge/work readiness program that combines recidivism risk reduction and workforce development.

  1. Recidivism reduction strategies:
  • A standardized assessment tool is used to identify risks, service needs, and strengths for every participant.
  • Collaborative goal-setting and individual case management aim to reduce risks and leverage strengths of each participant.
  • Evidence-based risk reduction strategies and support for behavioral change, including cognitive behavioral interventions and Motivational Interviewing, are included.
  1. Pre-bridge/intensive work readiness services:
  • Sector-focused programming through engagement in service projects and job readiness training.
  • Opportunities to earn work readiness credentials such as OSHA 10.
  • Emphasis on soft skills development (e.g., communication, time-management, teamwork, conflict management).
  • Strong “bridges” between Justice Corps and post-program placement destinations. Corps members are placed in educational programs (pre-HSE, HSE, or post-secondary), vocational training, part-time or full-time unsubsidized employment, and other bridge programs. Corps members will receive placement retention and/or re-placement services to ensure a successful bridge to their next environment.
  1. Community Benefit Projects (CBPs):
  • Since 2008, Corps members have contributed more than 250,000 hours of service to some of the most disadvantaged NYC communities contributing labor worth more than $2 million.
  • Corps members will continue to design service projects and present their plans to a Community Advisory Board, building positive relationships with community members and improving their neighborhoods.

Read our new report: Building Communities, Changing Lives: The NYC Justice Corps Community Benefits Projects.

The NYC Justice Corps was one of the original strategies selected in 2008 by the NYC Center for Economic Opportunity (CEO) to improve prospects for disconnected youth who were part of the criminal justice system. With support from the Young Men’s Initiative, the NYC Justice Corps expanded to four boroughs in 2012. The John Jay College Prisoner Reentry Institute (PRI) administers the program and subcontracts with community-based providers for program operation. In FY 17, it is projected that Justice Corps will enroll serve 160 new enrollees and up to 80 alumni, placing Corps members in employment, training, and education and providing placement retention services.

PRI selects qualified provider agencies to run the program, oversees its operations, and provides technical assistance to promote best practices. In an effort to bring similar youth-oriented reentry programs to scale in other communities, PRI also provides to interested practitioners a comprehensive free online Community Benefit Project Toolbox containing the NYC Justice Corps program resources and staff training materials.

TO LEARN MORE visit the New York City Justice Corps website or contact Elena Sigman, PRI’s Director of Collaborative Learning.

The NYC Justice Corps Serves The Bronx, Brooklyn, Harlem & Queens at the following locations.

BRONX JUSTICE CORPS

Vanessa Vanterpool, Program Director
Phipps Neighborhoods
1409 Fulton Avenue
Bronx, NY 10456
Tel: 347.329.4004, ext. 5050
Email: VVanterpool@phippsny.org

Serving the South Bronx

BROOKLYN JUSTICE CORPS

Asere Bello, Program Director
Center for Alternative Sentencing & Employment Services, Inc.
151 Gates Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11216
Tel: 212.553.6652
Email: abello@cases.orgServing Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brownsville, Crown Heights, Bushwick, and East New York
HARLEM JUSTICE CORPS

Alison Trenk, Program Manager
Center for Court Innovation
127 West 127th Street, Room 419
New York, NY 10027
Tel: 347.327.2758
Email: board@courtinnovation.org

Serving Central and East Harlem

QUEENS JUSTICE CORPS

Willard Beale, Program Director
Center for Alternative Sentencing & Employment Services, Inc.
89-31 161st Street
Jamaica, NY 11432
Tel: 347.796.4111
Email: wbeale@cases.org

Serving Jamaica