Jail Navigator

Description

JusticeLink: The nearly 16,000 Tulsans released from jail each year face critical barriers to accessing care, housing, work and other services essential to getting back on their feet. Re-arrest and recidivism are common, as nearly 40% of all Tulsa County jail admissions represent people arrested multiple times in the year. Coordination and navigation challenges in Tulsa contribute to this problem as there are currently no standards for coordination between agencies and nonprofits.

Tulsa has established a new diversion services center, JusticeLink, that acts as a collaborative, multi-agency network in a single location dedicated to providing coordinated, life-stabilizing services to justice-involved people navigating the criminal legal system.

Key Features Of JusticeLink Would Include

• One-stop-shop under one roof for clients to access multiple service providers around employment, case management, education, housing, family services, mental health, substance abuse and public benefits
• Personalized justice navigation for issues around fines & fees, court appearances and legal support, among other needs
• Service referrals to other high-quality providers
  
  

Position Summary

The Jail Navigator will play a key role in connecting justice-involved individuals to JusticeLink and other community partners immediately upon release from Tulsa County Jail. Often, individuals are released from jail without a clear plan for successful reentry back into the community, leading to potential recidivism and further escalation in the system. The Jail Navigator will be instrumental in disrupting the cycle of recidivism by assisting individuals with transportation from the jail to a safe environment and ensuring a connection to and coordination between all relevant community partners.

The Jail Navigator will conduct initial intakes for individuals interested in receiving JusticeLink services, ensure individuals have an understanding of pending court obligations prior to leaving the jail, manage relationships with community providers, and coordinate reentry for individuals by triaging client needs to community-based providers at the client’s discretion.

Principle Duties/Responsibilities

The following functions represent the majority of the duties performed by the position. The description is not meant to be all-inclusive or prevent other duties from being assigned when necessary:

Essential Job Function

• Create a trusting, comfortable, and inclusive environment that fosters partnership and continual engagement with individuals involved in the criminal-legal system from all backgrounds.
• Coordinate transportation via ride-share service from jail to safe environment, as deemed applicable by the client.
• Complete initial intake for new clients and facilitate connections to JusticeLink services or other relevant community partners, and complete applicable Release(s) of Confidential Information, as prioritized by the client.
• Confirm and inform client of all pending court dates and/or court obligations prior to leaving jail.
• Provide contact information for community-based partners and collect contact information from client for provider follow-up.
• Issue JusticeLink cellphone for clients lacking stable means of communication.
• Liaison between services providers and community partners with an interest in an individual’s case. Promote and ensure smooth connections, including follow-up to promote successful and ongoing engagement with services, as prioritized by the client.
• Initiate and manage relationships with system and community partners to maintain an open line of communication between organizations.
• Maintain complete and accurate documentation of all activities and reports through computerized entry in accordance with program standards and guidelines.
• Assist and collaborate with program leadership in regard to evaluation and procedures for referral linkage.
• Attend required training in support of duties and responsibilities of this position.
• Other duties as assigned including those required to fulfill activities in support of JusticeLink operations.
  
  

Requirements

QUALIFICATIONS/SPECIFICATIONS:

Education: High school diploma or GED required.

Experience: Previous experience with criminal-legal system impacted clients and/or engaging culturally diverse populations in social services is preferred. Lived experience navigating criminal justice systems also qualifies and is highly valued in this role.

Skills And Knowledge

• Knowledge of case-management and referral best practices preferred.
• Professional courtesy empathetic to the diverse situation and needs of individuals in the criminal legal system.
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills in order to communicate effectively with peers and to maintain productive working relationships with agency partners.
• Careful attention to detail.
• Skill in operating a personal computer and smartphone applications
  
  

Physical Effort

• Communicate: Frequent phone communication with Tulsa residents; Must be able to exchange accurate information over the phone, email, use an enterprise SMS text messaging platform, and face to face.
• Operate: Constant operation of computer, phones and other office productivity tools.
• Willingness and ability to travel between multiple locations (JusticeLink Center, jail, municipal and county courthouses) and service provider offices as required to meet client needs.
  
  

Hours & Location:

• Position will be in-person, embedded in the front lobby of the Tulsa County Jail, located at 300 N Denver Ave, Tulsa, OK 74103.
• Typical work hours are Monday – Friday from 8:00 to 5:00, but flexibility is required for various JusticeLink events or meetings that may occur evenings or weekends.
  
  

Supervision/Accountability: This position will have no direct reports. This position reports directly to the Operations Manager.

Compensation/Benefits: Salary range for this position is between $45,000-$50,000 annually.