Clinical Director, Brooklyn Felony Diversion

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

The Center for Justice Innovation is seeking an experienced Clinical Director of Brooklyn Felony Diversion. Reporting to the Project Director, the Clinical Director will oversee all clinical services, staff, and programming for two Center programs that offer diversion in Kings County Supreme Court: Brooklyn Mental Health Court and the Brooklyn Felony Alternatives-to-Incarceration program. These programs work to reduce the use of incarceration and address an array of participant needs, including around complex mental health, substance use, employment, and housing. Clinicians and other onsite staff conduct independent assessments, prepare recommendations for programming and supervision, provide referrals to community-based providers, offer ongoing case management, supervision and compliance monitoring, and pilot new services.

Brooklyn Mental Health Court
The Brooklyn Mental Health Court launched in 2002 as NYC’s first mental health court, serving individuals charged primarily with felony offenses who are living with serious mental illness. The program diverts participants from jail or prison by conducting clinical assessments and then connecting them with long-term treatment in the community, along with rigorous judicial monitoring. The court aims to strengthen the justice system’s ability to identify, assess, and monitor individual participants, to create linkages between the justice and mental health systems, and to improve public safety by ensuring that participants receive high quality community-based services.

Brooklyn Felony ATI Program
The Brooklyn Felony ATI Program utilizes a similar model to Brooklyn Mental Health Court, serving individuals facing felony charges who are not otherwise eligible for Mental Health Court or other treatment courts in Brooklyn. The program receives referrals through two pathways: (1) the dedicated Felony ATI court part within Brooklyn Supreme Court, with a dedicated judge and supervising prosecutor; and (2) through other court parts throughout Brooklyn Criminal and Supreme Court. Regardless of the referral pathway, all participants receive individualized assessments, onsite and community-based services, compliance monitoring and judicial monitoring for the life of the case.

• Manage clinical and case management staff as they: assess potential participants; provide referrals to community-based service providers; and monitor and report on compliance for court mandated participants;
• Supervise a team of social workers and case managers working within the Brooklyn Mental Health Court and the Felony ATI program, including providing clinical supervision to social work staff;
• Review psychosocial and psychiatric assessments to determine participant eligibility and appropriateness for treatment;
• Create and disseminate individualized treatment recommendations and plans for participants based upon psychosocial and psychiatric assessments, along with other relevant information about the needs of the participant;
• Ensure all clinical assessments, recommendations, and treatment plans are completed and shared with court in a timely manner;
• Ensure documentation and reporting are standardized across the site;
• Ensure compliance and progress reports that are submitted to court stakeholders are thorough and accurate;
• Work to ensure the provision of high-quality, evidence-based, and culturally responsive clinical assessments and treatment services across the site;
• Ensure that staff maintain appropriate and up-to-date client information in electronic database and hard files for effective reporting;
• Work to ensure continuity of care and practice across the site;
• Collaborate and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, including the judge, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and other court and programmatic staff;
• Coordinate and collaborate with forensic testing provider;
• Build and maintain relationships with a network of community-based social service providers, including assisting in the development of MOU’s and policies for referrals and reporting; and ensuring that partner providers are meeting expectations and needs of BMHC and its participants;
• Develop and maintain resource guide for staff to reference in making referrals to treatment providers and other service agencies;
• Carry a small caseload, as needed, of high-need participants and utilize clinically informed case management to help participants address issues such as substance use, mental health issues, trauma, domestic violence, housing, and vocational needs;
• Complete psychosocial evaluations as needed;
• Work with the Project Director to develop project-specific policies, procedures, and data collection and management;
• Work with staff to support clients who present to the clinic in crisis or with imminent needs to be addressed;
• Convene, facilitate, and/or participate in regular interdisciplinary meetings and case conferences with court stakeholders;
• Lead trainings, staff meetings, team-building exercises, site visits and develop opportunities for staff development;
• Assist Project Director with data tracking, funding applications, and grant reporting requirements, as needed;
• Assist with the development and implementation of new programs, initiatives, and/or interventions;
  Assist Project Director with administrative tasks as needed and perform other relevant duties as assigned.

Qualifications: An ideal candidate will have: 

• LCSW and a minimum of 5-6 years of relevant experience required; experience in the criminal justice field strongly preferred;
• Minimum of 2 years of relevant supervisory experience;
• Experience working with clients diagnosed with serious and persistent mental illness and treatment modalities is a must;
• Familiarity with the landscape of mental health, substance abuse, and Neurodevelopmental services in NYC preferred;
• Ability to manage and support a diverse workforce;
• Candidate must be comfortable working in a court-based setting and with court personnel, and partners;
• Candidates must be open to constructive engagement with other professionals who have differing and, at times, competing perspectives;
• Candidate must excel at client engagement and be skilled at engaging with a wide range of clients with complex needs;
• Strong in management, organization, and excellent time management skills;
• Must have strong written and oral communication skills.
• Must have SIFI certification or must obtain it within 6 months of hire;
• Bilingual (English-Spanish) preferred;

Position Type:  Full-time, in-person, the standard work week is 35 hours, Monday through Friday, 9pm - 5pm.

Position Location: Brooklyn, NY

Compensation: The compensation range for this position is $89,250 - $115,580 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.