THE ORGANIZATIONThe 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 ProgramsThe 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.ResearchThe 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 AssistanceThe 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 SupportA 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 OPPORTUNITYBrooklyn Justice Initiatives offers people an opportunity to change the direction of their lives. The program transforms how people navigate the legal process of criminal court in Brooklyn, NY, and helps them avoid the harmful effects of incarceration. It provides meaningful early diversion, supervised release for people awaiting trial, and alternative sentencing optionsBrooklyn Justice Initiatives is seeking a Diversion Intake Specialist to join the team. Reporting to the Director of Diversion and Transformative Initiatives, the Diversion Intake Specialist is primarily responsible for assisting with daily intake and outreach operations for pre-court and post court-based diversion programs at BJI. This currently includes Project RESET, the Brooklyn Young Adult Court, and adult Alternative to Incarceration providing voluntary, pre and post-plea services. The Diversion Intake Specialist may be called upon to support intakes for new court-based initiatives, assist with community-based events and attend offsite Brooklyn Justice Initiative/Center for Justice Innovation (CJI) events.Responsibilities include but are not limited to:
- Facilitate outreach, intake, screening, rescheduling, and reminding of upcoming dates/programming to encourage attendance, and voluntary service referrals;
- Explain program requirements and expectations to clients;
- Determine whether a potential participant is suitable for group-based work or merits additional screening and/or an individualized one-on-one session;
- Assist in liaising with off-site community partners to complete referrals and secure accurate attendance reporting;
- Assist with conducting client and attorney outreach to ensure all mandated clients are effectively engaged;
- Conduct outreach to collateral sources to promote compliance and court monitoring, as needed;
- Maintain a caseload requiring conducting outreach, maintaining accurate and organized documentation, and tracking attendance with the Center's internal case management tool and shared database;
- Maintain appropriate participant information in electronic databases and hard files, including and not limited to intake screening and assessment, HIPAA and consent forms, and legal documents;
- Provide accurate written and verbal participant reports to the court and other court stakeholders;
- Join in the work to educate the NYPD about Project Reset and encourage their full participation, as needed;
- Prepare and circulate certificates of program completion;
- Assist the Diversion, Compliance, and Court Operations teams with data entry;
- Ensure accuracy of information input into electronic client database;
- Maintain accurate information regarding enrollment in services;
- Participate in staff evening and weekend events, and programming, as needed; and
- Perform other duties as necessary to support project and department activities.
Qualifications: Minimum of an Associate's Degree, Bachelor's Degree preferred and at least one year of experience working in a criminal court setting and/or human service field strongly preferred. Candidate should be highly organized, have the ability to multi-task, and work in a fast-paced environment. Additional qualifications include:
- Willingness and interest in engaging individuals (youth and adult) with mental health and substance use needs;
- Ability to work with people from diverse backgrounds in a culturally-responsive manner;
- Professional demeanor and ability to communicate appropriately with building stakeholders;
- Excellent organizational and interpersonal, communication, and writing skills required; and
- Bilingual preferred (English-Spanish, or other languages).
Position Type: Full-time, weekend and evening hours required for BJI operations, as needed.Position Location: Brooklyn, NY.Compensation: The compensation range for this position is $52,000 - $62,000 and is commensurate with experience. The Center for Justice 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. Kindly refer to the job posting for the relevant contact information. If the contact details are not provided, we kindly ask that you refrain from making inquiries via phone or email, as only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.