Job Description

THE ORGANIZATION

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   

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.

Operating Programs

The Center’s operating programs, including the award-winning Red Hook Community Justice Center and Midtown Community Justice Center, 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. 

Center Support

A dedicated support team within the Center ensures the smooth functioning of operations across various domains, including finance, legal, technology, human resources, fundraising, real estate, and communications. Comprising 15% of the organization's staff, these teams provide essential infrastructure support and innovative solutions aligned with the Center's mission and values. 

THE OPPORTUNITY

Brooklyn Justice Initiatives (BJI) seeks to reengineer 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, Brooklyn Justice Initiatives is a team of social service providers, court-based resource coordinators, and others who seek to improve the quality of justice. By providing meaningful pre-trial supervised release and post-conviction sentencing options, Brooklyn Justice Initiatives seeks to use an arrest as a window of opportunity to change the direction of a participant’s life and avoid the harmful effects of incarceration.

Brooklyn Justice Initiatives is seeking a Compliance Specialist. Reporting to the Compliance Manager, the Compliance Specialist will implement and execute strategies to ensure accurate compliance tracking and reporting for the Supervised Release team at BJI. The Compliance Specialist will also assist all Brooklyn Justice Initiatives with compliance concerns, audits, and data collection and entry. The Compliance Specialist will ensure programmatic deliverables are being met and provide both internal feedback and written updates to the Court including defense attorneys, Assistant District Attorneys, clerks, and Judges on a regular basis. The Compliance Specialist is also responsible for working with the Compliance Manager, the Associate Director of Compliance, and other Compliance Specialists to oversee the accuracy of internal data and execute quality assurance of BJI’s practices.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Engage in routine auditing of Brooklyn Justice Initiatives programs including: program compliance and other internal audits;
• Track participants’ progress in accordance with all grant requirements;
• Coordinate with court staff to provide participants’ compliance, eligibility, and case status to stakeholders, including prosecutors, defense attorneys, clerks, and other court staff;
• Provide written case updates to the court and other court staff including compliance & non-compliance reporting;
• Generate daily and weekly compliance memorandums detailing participants’ mandates, upcoming court dates, and outcomes;
• Coordinate across BJI programming for cross-over participants also within the Alternatives to Incarceration program;
• Maintain appropriate participant information in electronic databases, including, but not limited to, data entry and collection, mandate information and court outcome information;
• Assist the Compliance Manager, Associate Director of Compliance and senior management with the development and implementation of new programs, protocols, initiatives, and/or interventions;
• Assist with training initiatives for program staff and new hires;
• Work closely with the Center for Justice Innovation’s Data Analytics & Applied Research team to improve quality assurance of all BJI programming;
• Review and analyze internal trends and practices to support programmatic evaluation;
• Attend all required staff meetings (clinical team, all staff, etc.) and trainings, which may include non-traditional business hours; attend project events after hours, with advanced notice as needed; and
• Perform additional relevant tasks, as needed.

Qualifications:  Bachelor’s degree and at least one year of experience working in a criminal court setting and/or human service field, or 3-4 years’ experience in the criminal justice field as an equivalency. Strong Microsoft Excel, organization, and communication skills, in addition to strong writing ability, are a must. Candidates must have the ability to work with people from diverse backgrounds in a culturally responsive manner. Professional demeanor and ability to communicate appropriately with judges and other court personnel is required.

Position Type:  Full-time.

Position Location:  Brooklyn, NY.

Compensation: The compensation range for this position is $52,000 - $63,500 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.

Job Tags

Full time, Temporary work, Flexible hours,

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