THE ORGANIZATION

The Center for Justice Innovation (formerly the Center for Court Innovation) is a non-profit organization that works with communities and justice systems to advance equity, increase safety, and help individuals and communities thrive. The Center's goal is to identify and resolve as early as possible the challenges that bring people into the criminal and civil legal systems. It does this in a number of ways—by developing and running programs that reduce the need for incarceration and enhance economic opportunity, conducting original research to identify what works, and sharing what we learn from our programming and research with those seeking to transform the justice system around the world.

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

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. 

THE OPPORTUNITY

Brooklyn Justice Initiatives (BJI), the largest operating project of the Center, seeks to re-engineer the experience of criminal court in Brooklyn, New York, by providing judges and attorneys meaningful alternatives to bail, fines, and jail sentences. Operating out of Kings County Criminal Court along with community-based offices, BJI is a team of social service providers, court-based resource coordinators, mental health practitioners, compliance specialists, and others who seek to improve the quality of justice. Supervised Release offers an alternative to jail by providing pretrial supervision, case management, and voluntary social services to people charged with misdemeanor and felony offenses, and in doing so, uses an arrest as a window of opportunity to change the direction of a participant’s life, avoiding the harmful effects of incarceration. Program participants are monitored to ensure their appearance at court dates and mandatory programming, and receive referrals to services like job training, drug treatment, and mental health counseling.

BJI seeks a Director of Practice for the borough’s Supervised Release Program (SRP). Reporting to the SRP Deputy Project Director, the Director of Practice will oversee the Case Management team, which includes caseload carrying Case Managers and Senior Case Managers, as well as Supervising Case Managers and Case Management Coordinators who collectively provide case management and a connection to social services to thousands of court-mandated SRP participants each year. This position leverages managerial and clinical expertise to effectively collaborate with members of site leadership, ensuring service to participants aligns with program standards for operational excellence, best practice, and organizational values. Through clinically-informed supervision, case conferencing, and interdepartmental communications, the Director of Practice will ensure staff adhere to the program model through a trauma-informed lens. 

In close collaboration with the SRP centralized Court Reform team and site leadership, the Director of Practice will be responsible for developing, revising, and implementing policy and practice standards. The Director of Practice also plays a key role in creating and overseeing quality assurance systems and internal audits to ensure that the program is consistently adhering to the model, fulfilling its mandate, and providing accurate court reports and quality service to participants. 

The Center for Justice Innovation strongly encourage and seek applications from women, people of color, LGBTQIA community members, as well as individuals with lived experience with the legal system.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Collaborate effectively with site leadership to identify operational successes and challenges towards the goal of developing and maintaining responsive and appropriate direct practice program policy, structures, and systems; 
• Responsible for policy, protocol, and practice related to case management;
  • Work closely with the centralized SRP Court Reform Team, to ensure alignment with program-wide policies, procedures, and protocols and clinical best practice; 
• Develop and maintain quality assurance systems to support consistent quality services to participants within and across teams, including trauma-informed and culturally competent protocols and practices;
• Responsible for supervision and oversight of the case management team to ensure consistent quality service provision to participants, accurate and timely data entry, substantive staff support, effective communication and collaboration, and professional growth and development opportunities for staff: 
  • Provide clinically-informed, weekly, one-on-one supervision for Case Management Coordinators; 
  • Provide clinically-informed, monthly, group supervision across various staff categories: Case Management Coordinators, Supervising Case Managers, Senior Case Managers, and Case Managers, respectively.

• Oversight of consistent and effective cross-team communication and collaboration to proactively identify successes, challenges, and opportunities to strengthen programming, create opportunities for meaningful collaboration, and maximize internal and external resources and expertise;
  • Participation in bi-weekly meetings across teams, specifically, Court Operations, Clinical, Community Engagement, Compliance, and specialty teams;

• Collaborate closely with compliance and clinical leadership to ensure direct practice staff maintain appropriate and up-to-date participant information in the Center’s SRP case management data system;
• Work collaboratively with the SRP Court Reform team to co-create, co-facilitate, and implement trainings on a variety of topics including case management and de-escalation; 
• Work with site leadership to ensure that appropriate crisis intervention and de-escalation protocols are routinely trained on and consistently operationalized by appropriate staff;
  • Provide direct crisis intervention and de-escalation support as needed; 
• Support comprehensive data collection and program evaluation initiatives;
• Participate in regular staff trainings, including crisis management and de-escalation; 
• Liaise and work collaboratively with judges and stakeholders, including the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice, as needed;
• Support grant writing and reporting, as needed;
• Participate in BJI events and programming during the evenings and weekends;
• Additional relevant tasks, as necessary.

Qualifications: The ideal candidate will have:

• Master's degree and license in a mental health field and 7 years direct practice (e.g. therapeutic or case management) experience required; or, BA degree and 9 years direct practice experience required;
• Demonstrated exceptional trauma-informed clinical skill required;
• Minimum 3 years supervisory experience required; 
• Experience in pretrial services strongly preferred but not required; experience working with people impacted by the criminal legal system required; 
• Additional training or certification in crisis intervention or de-escalation management strongly preferred; 
• Experience working with substance use treatment, mental health services, co-occurring disorders, adolescent development, trauma-informed, and strength-based approaches strongly preferred;
• 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-responsive manner;
• Excellent communication and writing skills;
• Excellent organizational skills;
• Ability to work professionally and collaboratively with a multidisciplinary team;
• Ability to work effectively and collaboratively in a court setting, including working collaboratively with judges, court personnel, and partner agencies in a high-pressure and fast-paced work environment;
• Openness and ability to engage constructively with differing and, at times, competing perspectives; and
• Bilingual (English-Spanish) preferred.

Position Type: Full-time in-person work required, weekend and evening hours required, as needed. 

Position Location: Brooklyn, NY

Compensation: The compensation range for this position is $90,000 - $130,000 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%.

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.