Program Associate, Pretrial Services

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 Supervised Release Program (SRP) offers an alternative to jail by providing pretrial supervision, case management, and social service referrals to people at risk of pretrial detention. Program participants are monitored to ensure their appearance at court dates and compliance with mandated programming. Additionally, voluntary referrals to community-based programming such as job training, drug treatment, and mental health counseling are made based on participant goals and an assessment of need. The SRP Court Reform team provides guidance and support to SRP operating sites in Brooklyn and Staten Island through policy and protocol development, quality assurance tools and resources, and operational support, including the provision of SRP staff training.

The Court Reform department is seeking a Program Associate, Pretrial Services. The Program Associate will support the general operations of the SRP Court Reform team. This includes efforts to regularly collaborate with operating sites on policy, protocol, and training, support the development and maintenance of training infrastructure for the program, help coordinate the SRP phone program, and manage other administrative responsibilities. The Program Associate will report to the Deputy Director of Pretrial Policy and Practice and work closely with other members of the SRP Court Reform team.

Administrative Support:

• Collaborate with the Pretrial Services Training Coordinator and Training Specialist to maintain a calendar of regularly scheduled trainings for new and existing SRP staff; 
  • Ensure platform accurately reflects current and past SRP trainings;
• Develop and maintain systems for tracking and reporting SRP training attendance;
  • Maintain an up-to-date SRP staff list in training software;
  • Ensure staff are designated into the appropriate SRP learning pathways;
  • Ensure staff training completion is accurately tracked;
  • Work with the SRP Court Reform team and site leadership to create a system for sending up-to-date, staff-specific training completion information to staff supervisors twice per year; and
• Support staff to enroll in SRP trainings, as needed.

Maintenance of the Intranet Page:

• Ensure policies, tools, resources, forms, and other program materials are accessible and are the most up-to-date version;
• Maintain the Questions section on an ongoing basis;
• Assist Brooklyn Justice Initiatives (BJI) and Staten Island Justice Center (SIJC) leadership and ensure that site-specific materials are kept up-to-date, as needed.

Manage Participant Phone Program:

• Review monthly inventory reports and submit phone service cancellation requests;
• Conduct monthly data audits and coordinate day-to-day communication with the SRP site leads and phone provider to respond to issues and inquiries; and
• Review expenses and payment processing.

Other Administrative Tasks:

• Process UCMS, eArraignment, and NYS Criminal Inquiry System requests for SRP and Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI) staff;
• Reconcile corporate card expense reports for the Senior Director of Pretrial Policy and Practice;
• Support SRP Court Reform team members with reimbursements, as needed; and
• Additional tasks as necessary. 

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree and preferably 1-2 years of related experience working in at risk communities or a high school diploma or equivalent and at least 5-6 years of relevant experience;
• Must be detail-oriented with excellent communication, organizational, and writing skills;
• Must be self-motivated and able to work effectively independently and as part of an interdependent, multi-disciplinary team; and
• Ability to work with people from diverse backgrounds in a culturally responsive manner.

Position Type: Full time, in person work required.

Position Location: Manhattan, NY with frequent travel to program sites across all 5 boroughs.

Compensation: The compensation range for this position is $52,000 - $64,500 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.