Court Liaison

Brooklyn Justice Initiatives Court Liaison

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, $130 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.

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 and 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 is seeking a Court Liaison, Supervised Release Program. Reporting to the Supervising Court Liaison, the Court Liaison will coordinate with court stakeholders to ensure the successful release of program participants to the Brooklyn SRP. The Court Liaison will review all available court-related information about each participant released under supervision to complete the necessary paperwork. Once participants are enrolled in programming, the Court Liaison will provide written and verbal updates to the court, including defense attorneys, assistant district attorneys, and judges, on a regular basis. The Court Liaison also covers various Criminal and Supreme Court parts across multiple locations, including specialized court initiatives and arraignments. Specific responsibilities include conducting program orientation with all participants released into the program and representing the program model during arraignment proceedings and post-arraignment appearances.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to :

• Serve as a liaison in the Brooklyn arraignment, all-purpose, treatment, supreme court, and trial court parts to act as a representative of BJI operating program and to facilitate the release of participants onto supervised release;
• Review internal and court databases to obtain documents and information about current or potential releases for direct practice staff to create an accurate case management file for participants released into the SRP;
• Conduct program orientations to explain program responsibilities and verify additional participant information;
• Cultivate relationships with all relevant court personnel, such as judges, attorneys, and court officers;
• Present program model and requirements to court stakeholders;
• Distribute provisions to participants as needed and maintain accurate documentation for these processes;
• Collaborate with departments such as Compliance, ATI, and Clinical to ensure that information about SRP participants is communicated effectively;
• Appear during subsequent court dates to provide compliance updates to the Court and collect information regarding any updated conditions or mandates imposed post-arraignment;
• Determine supervision level based on bail eligibility according to recent legislative changes to NYS bail laws;
• Maintain appropriate participant information in electronic databases and hard files, including court orders and outcome information;
• Assist senior staff with developing and implementing new programs, protocols, initiatives, and interventions as well as maintaining existing projects necessary for accurate data collection;
• Provide weeknight and weekend night arraignment coverage on a regular rotating basis;
• Attend required staff meetings and trainings;
• Attend Brooklyn Justice Initiatives' events after hours, as needed; and
• Additional tasks as necessary.

Qualifications : Bachelor's degree and a minimum of one year in a related area, preferably as a criminal justice practitioner or 3-4 years' experience in the criminal justice field as an equivalency. Candidates should possess the ability to communicate appropriately with varying levels of stakeholders. They should be highly organized, possess excellent communication skills, and strong writing ability, and have the capacity to be detail-oriented within a fast-paced, dynamic environment. Candidates must be proficient in Microsoft and Google Suites. Candidate should be able to work with people from diverse backgrounds in a culturally responsive manner and work independently and collaboratively, both in-person and remotely. A willingness to work evening, weekend, and holiday hours is required. Bilingual (English-Spanish) strongly preferred.

Position Type : Full-time, 35 hours per week. Sunday - Thursday or Tuesday - Saturday from 9 : 00am - 5 : 00pm, with the expectation for working rotating some nights, weekends, and holidays.

Position Location : Brooklyn, New York.

Compensation : The compensation range for this position is $53,500 - $66,000 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 committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace. We do not discriminate based on 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 LGBTQ+ community, and individuals with prior contact with the criminal justice system. Our goal is to create a supportive and respectful environment where everyone, regardless of background or identity, feels valued and included.

At this time, the Center does not sponsor or support any immigration status, which includes supporting or completing any foreign student training plan. All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States at the time of application and throughout the duration of employment. Candidates are expected to provide accurate and truthful information throughout the hiring process. Any misrepresentation, falsification, or omission of material facts may result in disqualification from consideration, withdrawal of an offer, or termination of employment, regardless of when discovered.

As of February 10, 2023, New York City Executive Order 25 rescinded the COVID-19 vaccination requirement for City workers, new hires, and contracted employees. While the Center does not require vaccination, we strongly recommend that all staff, interns, and volunteers stay up to date. In compliance with federal law, all hires must verify their identity and eligibility to work in the United States and complete the required employment verification form upon hire. Please refer to the job posting for relevant contact information. If contact details are not provided, we kindly ask that you refrain from inquiries via phone or email, as only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.