Social Worker, Diversion Programs

THE ORGANIZATION The Center for Justice Innovation is a community justice organization that centers safety and racial justice.

Since our founding in 1996, the Center has partnered with community members, courts, and the people most impacted to create stronger, healthier, more just communities.

Our decades of experience in courts and communities, coupled with our field-leading research and practitioner expertise, help us drive justice nationwide in innovative, powerful, and durable ways.

For more information on how and where we work, please visit www.innovatingjustice.org. The Center is a 900-employee, $100 million nonprofit that accomplishes its vision through three pillars of work : creating and scaling operating programs to test new ideas and solve problems, performing original research to determine what works (and what doesn’t), and providing expert assistance and policy guidance to justice reformers around the world.

Operating Programs The Center’s operating programs, including the award-winning Red Hook Community Justice Center and Midtown Community Justice Center, test new ideas, solve difficult problems, and attempt to achieve systemic change within the justice system.

Our projects include community-based violence prevention programs, alternatives to incarceration, reentry initiatives, and court-based initiatives that reduce the use of unnecessary incarceration and promote positive individual and family change.

Through this programming, we have produced tangible results like safer streets, reduced incarceration, and improved neighborhood perceptions of justice.

Research The Center's research teams are staffed with social scientists, data analysts, and lawyers who are academically-trained or have lived experience and who conduct research in the U.

S. and globally on diverse criminal-legal system and justice issues. Their work includes evaluating programs and policies;

conducting exploratory, community-based studies; and providing research translation and strategic planning for system actors.

The Center has published studies on topics including court and jail reform, intimate partner violence, restorative justice, gun violence, reentry, sixth amendment rights, and progressive prosecution.

The research teams strive to make their work meaningful and actionable to the communities they work with, policymakers, and practitioners.

Policy & Expert Assistance The Center provides hands-on, planning and implementation assistance to a wide range of jurisdictions in areas of reform such as problem-solving courts (e.

g., community courts, treatment courts, domestic violence courts), tribal justice, reducing incarceration and the use of fines / fees and reducing crime and violence.

Our current expert assistance takes many forms, including help with analyzing data, strategic planning and consultation, policy guidance, and hosting site visits to its operating programs in the New York City area.

Center Support A dedicated support team within the Center ensures the smooth functioning of operations across various domains, including finance, legal, technology, human resources, fundraising, real estate, and communications.

Comprising 15% of the organization's staff, these teams provide essential infrastructure support and innovative solutions aligned with the Center's mission and values.

THE OPPORTUNITY Launched in 1993, the award-winning Midtown Community Justice Center is one of the country’s first problem-solving courts.

Seeking to reduce crime and incarceration and increase public trust in justice, the Midtown Community Justice Center works with neighborhood stakeholders to improve Midtown Manhattan.

The court responds creatively to low-level offending, seeking alternatives that are restorative to the community. In keeping with that goal, Midtown also operates upstream programming to divert adults and young people from prosecution.

Midtown Community Justice Center offers two diversion programs that provide people who are arrested an off-ramp from criminal prosecution : Youth PACT and Project Reset.

Youth PACT, a 90-day diversion program for teens arrested on weapons possession charges. The program operated in partnership with the New York City Law Department Family Court Division, which refers cases to the program.

Youth PACT employs restorative practices and socio-emotional learning principles to address the root causes of weapons carrying.

The Center for Justice Innovation operates Project Reset, New York City's pre-arraignment diversion program, in all five boroughs and the Midtown Community Justice Center operates the program in Manhattan.

In collaboration with the New York Police Department, the District Attorney’s Offices, and the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice, Project Reset seeks to create a proportionate response to low-level crime by avoiding the traditional criminal justice process.

Project Reset-eligible community members receive the option to participate in a one session program in advance of their court date.

Upon completion of the session, the District Attorney’s Office will decline to prosecute the case. Recently, the Midtown Community Justice Center launched Rapid Reset, which offers the same diversion opportunity to Project Reset-eligible people who show up to court.

Reporting to the Project Reset Coordinator, the Social Worker will facilitate group-based curricula and provide individual counseling to adult Project Reset and Rapid Reset participants.

Where appropriate, the Social Worker will work with clients on a voluntary basis and make referrals to additional services.

For Youth PACT, the Social Worker will support the young participants’ primary caregivers through individual counseling, parent coaching, and referrals to wraparound services, as needed.

The Social Worker will work with the caregiver through the preparatory process for their child’s community support circle.

The Social Worker will also provide clinical support to direct service staff on the Diversion team and collaborate with Midtown's Clinical Supervisor and other Midtown leadership to implement and conduct clinical interventions for future Diversion initiatives.

The Social Worker may also be called upon to provide general support to other clinical programs at Midtown Community Justice Center, as needed.

• Responsibilities include but are not limited to : Conduct group-based programming for Project Reset and Rapid Reset programming for Midtown’s Court Parts, including Emerging Adult Court which serves 18-25-year-olds;
• Support the development of group and individual programming in response to client needs and trends; Conduct case management and individual counseling sessions for Project Reset and Rapid Reset clients;
• As needed, support with Project Reset outreach and scheduling; Provide comprehensive, clinically informed case management services to short- and long-term court involved clients (and, where appropriate, their families) that address issues such as substance use, mental health issues, trauma, domestic violence, housing, and vocational needs;
• As needed, support Rapid Reset programming at the Midtown Community Justice Center and New York County Criminal Court by conducting intakes and screenings, connecting participants to programming, updating compliance, and facilitating group workshops;
• Maintain accurate electronic records in the Center’s internal case management system and in a database shared with project partners;
• Work with Midtown Community Justice Center’s clinical staff and Case Managers to refer participants to voluntary social services;
• With the support of the Clinical Supervisor and Clinical Coordinator, provide clinical guidance to the Diversion staff; Facilitate coordinated service delivery from on-site and community-based partner agencies;
• Identify and cultivate referral options for program participants; As needed, complete second-round Project Reset intakes for eligible participants who are not group appropriate or who need clinical support;
• Provide clinical services and parenting support to Youth PACT participants’ caregivers Support Youth PACT caregivers through the community support circle prep process and participate in community support circles, as appropriate;
• Actively engage in new initiatives at Midtown Community Justice Center; Participate in staff meetings, team-building exercises, trainings, and site visits;

Participate in evening and weekend community meetings, events, and programming, as needed; Perform other relevant duties, including coverage and support, as needed to support the Midtown Community Justice Center and Center for Justice Innovation.

Qualifications : The ideal candidate will be a LMSW with a minimum of two year of relevant experience in social work, the criminal justice system, and / or with justice-involved communities required.

• Other qualifications include : Bilingual (English-Spanish) preferred; Previous experience working with court-involved populations;
• Experience conducting highly-engaging, substantive group programming; Commitment to using, and preferably have experience with, trauma-informed and strengths-based approaches;
• Ability to work with people from diverse backgrounds in a culturally-competent manner; Knowledge of community-based resources throughout New York City preferred;

A self-starter who can successfully be part of a diverse workforce and get things done in a fast-paced environment; Willingness to work collaboratively with a variety of court personnel and on-site partner agencies.

Court-based social work is a unique and demanding area of practice, and candidates must be open to constructive engagement with other professionals who have differing and, at times, competing perspectives.

Position Location : Manhattan, NY Position Type : Full time Compensation : The compensation range for this position is $57,500 - $73,500 and is commensurate with experience.

The Center for Court Innovation offers an excellent benefits package including comprehensive healthcare with a national network, free basic dental coverage, vision insurance, short-term and long-term disability, life insurance, and flexible spending accounts including commuter FSA.

We prioritize mental health care for our staff and offer services like Talkspace and Ginger through our healthcare plans.

We offer a 403(b) retirement plan with a two-to-one employer contribution up to 5%. The Center for Justice Innovation is an equal opportunity employer.

We are committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace, and as such, we do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, national origin, age, military service eligibility, veteran status, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, or any other category protected by law.

We strongly encourage and welcome applications from women, people of color, members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities, as well as individuals with prior contact with the criminal justice system.

Our aim is to create a supportive and respectful environment where every individual, irrespective of their background or identity, feels valued and included.

As of February 10, 2023, New York City Executive Order 25 rescinded the requirement of the COVID-19 vaccination for City workers, new hires, and contracted employees.

Accordingly, the Center does not require all new hires be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus; however, the Center recommends all staff, interns, and volunteers stay up-to-date on the vaccination.

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete an employment eligibility verification document form upon hire.

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