Overview

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 Brownsville Community Justice Center, a project of the Center for Court Innovation, seeks to re-engineer how the justice system works in Brownsville, Brooklyn. In particular, the Justice Center is dedicated to building multiple off-ramps for young people who come into contact with the justice system by providing much-needed services to young people arrested in Brownsville. The aim is to provide the kind of support that young people need to become law-abiding members of society. The ultimate goal is to reduce crime and the use of incarceration, while at the same restoring local faith in the justice system.

The Brownsville Community Justice Center is seeking a Social Worker to join the Community Initiatives team. This position will work as a part of an interdisciplinary team utilizing a strengths-based model to engage youth ages 13-24 from Brownsville who have come in contact with the criminal justice system with the hopes of providing off ramps from future systems involvement. Reporting to the Senior Social Worker, the Social Worker, Community Initiatives is primarily responsible for providing comprehensive advocacy and case management, counseling, and leadership development programming for youth participants.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

  • Provide comprehensive advocacy and weekly individual counseling to justice involved youth ages 13-24 (and, where appropriate, their families);
  • Provide case management services and assist with resource coordination;
  • Maintain appropriate client information in electronic databases and hard files;
  • Engage families in all phases of the program and provide support and referrals, as needed;
  • Engage with the Brownsville community including attending community events, conducting outreach, and supporting Justice Center initiatives;
  • Coordinate and manage recruitment strategies for youth programs;
  • Assist with the development and implementation of new programs and initiatives;
  • Facilitate youth programming focused on youth leadership development, community engagement, and youth organizing;
  • Attend all required staff meetings and trainings;
  • Maintain a work culture conducive to innovation and team building;
  • Other relevant responsibilities as assigned.

Qualifications: 

  • The ideal candidate will be a LMSW or be eligible for LMSW licensure in the State of New York within 90 days of hire;
  • At least 2 years of youth work experience, including advocacy, case management, and group facilitation;
  • Candidates must be comfortable working in a community based and youth led environment;
  • Candidates must be open to constructive engagement with differing and, at times, competing perspectives;
  • Candidates must be committed to using holistic and strengths-based approaches;
  • Candidates must have the ability to work with people from diverse backgrounds in a culturally-competent manner;
  • Candidates must be committed to place-based and community-based social work;
  • In-depth knowledge of and familiarity with the Brownsville, Brooklyn community preferred;
  • Credible messenger experience preferred;
  • Applicants from Brownsville are highly encouraged to apply.

Position Type:  Full-time, 11am-7pm (to accommodate youth in school).

Compensation:  Salary range for licensed candidates starts at $58,500 and is commensurate with experience. Center for Court Innovation offers an excellent benefits package including comprehensive health, free basic dental coverage, vision insurance, short-term and long term disability, and life insurance. All healthcare benefits are effective on the date of hire. Paid time off includes 20 days of paid vacation per year, 15 paid sick days, Flexible Spending Account plans for health and dependent care, commuter FSA and offers a 10% employer match on the 403(b) retirement plan.

The Center for Court Innovation is an equal opportunity employer. The Center does 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 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.

As of September 9, 2021, all new hires are required to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus, unless they have been granted a reasonable accommodation for medical, disability or religious reasons by the Center’s Human Resources Department.

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. Only applicants under consideration will be contacted. No phone calls please.

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