NYC Justice Corps

NYC Justice Corps Seeks Education Consultant

The Prisoner Reentry Institute at John Jay College of Criminal Justice seeks to identify an individual or organization to serve as an education consultant to refine and enhance the educational component of the NYC Justice Corps model.  The College will begin piloting educational services in April 2010.  The consultant will be hired during the early stages of implementation to monitor, assess and provide program development support to enhance the educational services and develop a contextualized education curriculum.  This contract will be executed through the College’s fiscal agent, the Research Foundation of The City University of New York.  Access the Statement of Need here and direct all questions here.

Mayor Bloomberg Highlights Justice Corps

In Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s 2010 State of the City Address he defined his administration’s strategy to connect black and Hispanic young adults to opportunities and support that can lead them to success.  In addition to the City’s effort to provide intensive services to young adults involved with the criminal justice system and employ evidence-based practices to maintain public safety, Mayor Bloomberg highlighted his administration’s commitment to expanding the NYC Justice Corps to provide Corps members more jobs and improve their ability to reenter successfully. This year as a result of funding from the City, the NYC Justice Corps will expand to a third site located in the West Farms section of the South Bronx.  In addition, funding from the Robin Hood Foundation will allow the current Bronx site to launch its menu of alumni and job support services to graduates of the Justice Corps.  The Mayor’s full address is available here.

Year One Evaluation of NYC Justice Corps Released

The Evaluation Report of the NYC Justice Corps: The Final Report of Year One Implementation was released in December 2009 and the executive summary can be downloaded here. Metis Associates authored the Evaluation Report which offers a comprehensive account of the program’s first 12 months from the initial start-up phase from July 2008 to September 2008 through the first nine months of the program’s launch (through June 2009). It also identifies challenges faced by the program which informed how we have continued to refine the model. Many of the lessons learned and recommendations for improvement have been incorporated into the NYC Justice Corps program model and operational policies for the second program year, which started in September 2009.

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.

Herb Sturz visits the Brooklyn Justice Corps

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.

Bronx Justice Corps Video

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.

Bronx Site Celebrates Graduation of 23 Corps Members at Bronx Museum of Art!

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.

Brooklyn Justice Corps Site Has its Community Mural Featured in Music Video!

In late July, socially conscious hip hop duo, Dead Prez, released a new video for their single, Summertime, a hip hop/R&B track themed around reminiscent good times during the summer. The video includes shots of various landmarks in historically black neighborhoods such as the Apollo Theater in Harlem, NY, and it also includes a newly-minted mural painted in the heart of Bedford-Stuyvesant, painted by Brooklyn Corps members.

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.

The NYC Justice Corps Pilot Year: 275 Young Adults Served!

In June, the NYC Justice Corps enrolled its ninth and final cohort of its inaugural program year, bringing total enrollment to 275 criminal justice-involved young adults in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn and the Melrose, Morrisiania, and Mott Haven sections of the South Bronx. The Justice Corps is two-thirds through its first year and has already graduated four cohorts (two at each site). The program is showing success at retaining young adults and keeping them engaged through the six months of the model. To date, three out of four Corps members who enroll in the program complete the 24 weeks of service. Efforts to place graduates in unsubsidized jobs have been stalled by the economy, but more graduates are turning to college and other post secondary education options to advance career goals and build professional capital.

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