Funded by the New York City Center for Economic Opportunity, the NYC Justice Corps is an ambitious demonstration initiative that seeks to change how communities address the reentry of young people from the criminal justice system. Specifically, the NYC Justice Corps aims to develop the capacity of neighborhoods to address the reintegration challenges of their young adults and instill in those young adults a sense of civic responsibility and accountability to the communities to which they return. The full report is available upon request.

On November 12, 2009, the Brooklyn Justice Corps site hosted Herb Sturz, the Founding Chairman of The After-School Corporation and Founding Director of the Vera Institute of Justice, and Jeremy Travis, President of John Jay College. The two visited with Corps members who recently graduated and are now employed, as well as Corps members who are currently working on community benefit service projects.

The NYC Justice Corps Bronx site shares the experiences of several Corps members, staff and partners in a video about the program and the opportunities it provides. Personal testimonies describe successful community benefit service projects, employment experiences, and future goals to help employers and community members learn about NYC Justice Corps and the benefits of becoming a partner. The video was produced by Night Train Films, a New York City-based production company. Having the crew on site for several months inspired one ambitious Corps member to pursue an internship with the company. Braulio Martinez spent six weeks working with Night Train as a production assistant, learning everything from invoicing clients to supporting a production crew at various locations.

On July 30, 2009, the NYC Justice Corps Bronx site graduated its third cohort of Corps members. Twenty-two young men and women celebrated completing service in the Justice Corps. Several of the graduates are now employed or preparing to enroll in college or start advanced vocational training programs. One graduate – Giovanna Serrano – accepted a position with the Community District 6 Board Office and expects to begin her freshman year at Bronx Community College in spring 2010. Her goal is to become a police officer and continue to serve the community in which she grew up.

The cohort of 22 Corps members marks Phipps’ largest graduating class to date. With two more cohorts still in service this program year, Phipps fully expects to build on the success of Cohort 3, helping young adults in the South Bronx fulfill their dreams of becoming self-sufficient adults. Cohort 4 began its internship phase in August while Corps members of Cohort 5 are presently working on their community benefit service projects.

The mural includes portraits of prominent black leaders, including Harriet Tubman, Bob Marley and Thurgood Marshall.  Directed by the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, Cohort 4 Corps members designed and painted the mural as part of a larger multi-phased community benefit service project. When the “Model Block” project is complete, Corps members will have painted the mural, renovated a community garden, removed graffiti from a community church, and planted trees on the sidewalk all along the Bedford-Stuyvesant block of Herkimer Street between New York and Nostrand Avenues.

In their song, Summertime, rappers M-1 and stic.man sing about how spirits are uplifted during the summer months. It’s no wonder they chose to include the Brooklyn Justice Corps mural in their video: both the song and the mural are an inspiration to the community of Bedford-Stuyvesant. The video can be found on Youtube here.

During the second year of the NYC Justice Corps, which starts in September 2009, the program will serve 250 young adults.