Social Worker, Felony Alternative to Incarceration at Center for Court Innovation

THE ORGANIZATION

The Center for Court Innovation is committed to reducing crime and incarceration, addressing violence, supporting survivors, and building communities while strengthening public trust in justice. The Center seeks justice for marginalized groups, bringing an equity lens – particularly a racial and gender equity lens – to its work. For 25 years, the Center has worked to foster justice and equity to create safe, healthy, and thriving communities and, ultimately, to transform the justice system.

The Center is an 800-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 Court, 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

Researchers at the Center conduct independent evaluations, documenting how government systems work, how neighborhoods function, and how reform efforts change things. We believe in the "action research" model; accordingly, our researchers provide regular feedback on the results of the Center's own operating programs. The Center has published studies on topics including youth in the sex trade, reentry, gun violence, and drug treatment as an alternative to incarceration. Our researchers have been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals.

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.

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Center for Court Innovation is seeking a Social Worker to join a team of staff—including social workers, case managers, and a peer navigator—who work with defendants participating in the Manhattan Felony Alternative to Incarceration (ATI) Court. The ATI Court, which is led by Administrative Judge Ellen Biben, seeks to forge a new response to individuals charged with felonies by linking them to community-based social services. The Court is the first of its kind, providing an innovative model for other jurisdictions seeking to develop and implement meaningful post-conviction sentencing options for individuals facing felony charges.

Reporting to the Clinical Director, the Social Worker will be part of a team that provides neutral, third-party assessments and case management services to the ATI Court. The Social Worker will be responsible for conducting independent clinical assessments, providing referrals to community-based services, offering comprehensive clinical case management, and monitoring participant compliance.

An essential and dynamic feature of the Social Worker's role will be close collaboration with key stakeholders. The Social Worker will work regularly with the judge and court staff from New York Country Supreme Court who oversee the Felony ATI Court, as well as with other stakeholders, including the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and New York City defense organizations. Court-based social work is an exciting, unique and demanding area of practice, and the Social Worker role involves navigating and constructively engaging with differing and, at times, competing stakeholder perspectives. We strongly encourage and seek 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.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:
• Conduct detailed risk-need profiles and clinical assessments for potential felony ATI Court participants;
• Develop treatment recommendations for services for potential ATI participants to court stakeholders (judge, defense counsel, prosecutor and court staff);
• Provide comprehensive, clinically-informed case management services to a caseload of pre-plea and court-mandated ATI participants to help address issues such as substance use, mental health issues, trauma, domestic violence, housing and vocational needs, and other challenges in a participant's life (e.g. new arrests, family court cases and other civil legal issues);
• Make appropriate community-based referrals for a variety of social service needs;
• Manage and monitor compliance with treatment mandates, including care coordination with providers;
• Provide written treatment updates for court stakeholders for all court-involved participants;
• Participate in regular interdisciplinary case conferences with court stakeholders;
• Coordinate with court stakeholders on any non-compliance issues and assist clients in getting back into compliance, including re-engaging clients, arranging return on warrants, and implementing graduated responses to encourage future compliance;
• Facilitate and help to develop and/or revise curricula for a range of on-site psychoeducational groups and individual case management sessions;
• Attend court on calendar days, as needed, to help clients navigate court and collaborate with court staff and stakeholders;
• Collaborate and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, including the resource coordinator, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and other court and programmatic staff;
• Assist with toxicology testing and reporting, as needed;
• Provide crisis intervention and de-escalation, as needed;
• Provide voluntary referrals to community-based services, as needed;
• Establish and maintain linkages with community partners who can support program work;
• Assist the Clinical Director with the development and implementation of new initiatives; including best clinical practices, and appropriate evidence-based interventions;
• Enter and maintain appropriate up-to-date participant information, including assessment, case management, and case outcome data;
• Provide clinical services as described above to program participants on a voluntary basis post-mandate;
• Participate in clinical group supervision, staff meetings, and trainings, as scheduled;
• Attend evening community-based meetings and events, as needed;
• Assist with other programmatic and administrative tasks to support the Felony ATI Court's activities, as needed.

Qualifications:
• LMSW, with a minimum of 4 years in criminal justice and/or a related field. Experience in a court or criminal justice setting preferred;
• Knowledge and/or lived experience related to the criminal justice system and its impacts on communities;
• Willingness and ability to work collaboratively with a variety of court personnel and on-site partner agencies in a high-pressure/fast paced work environment;
• Skill and openness to constructive engagement with differing and, at times, competing stakeholder perspectives;
• Commitment to, and experience using, holistic and strengths-based approaches, meeting "participants where they are", as well as the ability to work with people from diverse backgrounds in a culturally-competent manner;
• Experience working with drug/alcohol treatment, mental health services, co-occurring disorders, trauma-informed and strengths-based approaches strongly preferred;
• Experience working with and addressing the specific needs of young adults, LGBTQ+ people, and women strongly preferred;
• Excellent organization and time management skills;
• Strong writing and verbal communication skills;
• Knowledge and/or lived experience related to the criminal justice system and its impacts on communities, and
• Bilingual (English-Spanish) preferred.

Compensation: The compensation range for this position is $59,850 - $70,310 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%.

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