Senior Counselor, Felony Alternatives to Incarceration & Housing Services

THE ORGANIZATION

The Center for Justice Innovation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing community safety and racial justice. Since 1996, we’ve worked alongside communities, courts, and those most directly affected by the justice system to build stronger, healthier, and more equitable neighborhoods. With a team of over 900 staff and an annual budget of $130 million, the Center carries out its mission through three core strategies:

1. Operating Programs that pilot new ideas and address local challenges;
2. Conducting original research to evaluate what works—and what doesn’t; and
3. Providing expert assistance and policy guidance to reformers across the country and beyond.

Backed by decades of on-the-ground experience and nationally recognized expertise, we bring innovative, practical, and lasting solutions to justice systems nationwide.
Learn more about our work at .

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Center for Justice Innovation is seeking a Senior Counselor to join a team of staff—including social workers and case managers—who work with defendants participating in the Manhattan Felony Alternative to Incarceration (ATI) Court. The Senior Counselor will also oversee and support housing-specific case management services. The ATI Court, which is led by Administrative Judge Ellen Biben, seeks to forge a new response to individuals charged with felonies by linking them to community-based social services. The Court is the first of its kind, providing an innovative model for other jurisdictions seeking to develop and implement meaningful post-conviction sentencing options for individuals facing felony charges. 

Reporting to the Clinical Director, the Senior Counselor will be part of a team that provides neutral, third-party assessments and case management services to the ATI Court. The Senior Counselor will conduct independent clinical assessments, provide referrals to community-based services, offer comprehensive clinical case management, and monitor participant compliance. They will be primarily responsible for supporting a caseload of high-risk need program participants and supervising a group of case managers and/or social workers. This will include supervising and supporting two staff who are exclusively focused on housing-specific case management services, namely helping participants obtain and/or maintain safe and stable housing. This housing work is a novel component of the project and will require strong managerial skills to develop and implement new policies and processes that ensure effective and efficient services. 

Additionally, in coordination with the Clinical Director, the Senior Counselor will help coordinate compliance updates on ATI Court calendar days, help identify gaps in services and forge new partnerships with community-based providers to fill those needs, identify internal training needs and coordinate trainings for staff, and coordinate with the Office Manager regarding participant supplies and other needs. 

An essential and dynamic feature of the Senior Counselor’s role will be close collaboration with key stakeholders. The Senior Counselor will work regularly with the judge and court staff from New York County Supreme Court who oversee the Felony ATI Court, as well as with other stakeholders, including the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and New York City defense organizations. Court-based social work is an exciting, unique, and demanding area of practice, and the Senior Counselor role involves navigating and constructively engaging with differing and, at times, competing stakeholder perspectives. 

Responsibilities include but are not limited to: 

• Conduct detailed clinical assessments for potential felony ATI Court participants; 

• Develop treatment recommendations for potential ATI participants to court stakeholders (judge, defense counsel, prosecutor, and court staff); 

• Provide comprehensive, clinically-informed case management services to a caseload of high-risk need pre-plea and court-mandated ATI participants to help address issues such as substance use, mental health, trauma, domestic violence, housing and vocational needs, and other challenges in a participant’s life (e.g. new arrests, family court cases, and other civil legal issues); 

• Make appropriate community-based referrals for a variety of social service needs; 

• Manage and monitor compliance with treatment mandates, including care coordination with providers, and provide written treatment updates for court stakeholders for all court-involved participants; 

• Supervise and provide support and guidance to case managers, social workers, and interns, in coordination with the Clinical Director; 

• Supervise and provide support and guidance to housing case managers; 

• Develop and implement new processes and systems to ensure that housing services and integrated into the daily operations of the project, well-utilized, efficient, and high-quality; 

• Support social work internship recruitment, placement, and supervision; 

• Participate in regular interdisciplinary case conferences with court stakeholders; 

• Coordinate with court stakeholders on any non-compliance issues and assist clients in getting back into compliance, including re-engaging clients, arranging returns on warrants, and implementing graduated responses to encourage future compliance; 

• Attend court as needed to help clients navigate the court, to support staff, and collaborate with court staff and stakeholders; 

• Collaborate and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, including court resource coordinators, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and other court and programmatic staff; 

• Connect participants to toxicology testing and report on results, as needed; 

• Provide crisis intervention and de-escalation, as needed; 

• Provide voluntary referrals to community-based services, as needed; 

• Establish and maintain linkages with community partners who can support program work, and assist the Clinical Director in identifying gaps in services and forging new partnerships to fill those needs; 

• Support the development of partnerships with housing-specific service providers; 

• Assist the Clinical Director with the development and implementation of new initiatives, including best clinical practices and appropriate evidence-based interventions; 

• Identify internal training needs and coordinate the delivery of such trainings for staff, in coordination with the Clinical Director; 

• Support the planning and delivery of housing-specific training and resources for staff; 

• Enter and maintain appropriate up-to-date participant information, including assessment, case management, and case outcome data; 

• Support data entry related to housing services and the tracking of housing outcomes to contribute to reporting and evaluation efforts; 

• Coordinate with the Center’s Housing Justice Initiatives team to improve housing services, track outcomes, and develop trainings for staff;

• Provide clinical services as described above to program participants on a voluntary basis post-mandate; 

• Participate in clinical group supervision, staff meetings, and trainings; 

• Attend evening community-based meetings and events, as needed;

• Coordinate with the Office Manager regarding participant supplies and other needs; 

• Assist with other programmatic and administrative tasks to support the Felony ATI Court’s activities; and;

• Additional relevant tasks, as needed. 

Qualifications:

• MHC or LMSW and a minimum of 5 years is required;

• A minimum of 2 years’ experience working in a social justice or social services setting preferred;

• Experience in a court or criminal justice setting preferred; 

• Willingness and ability to work collaboratively with a variety of court personnel and on-site partner agencies in a high-pressure/fast paced work environment; 

• Skill and openness to constructive engagement with differing and, at times, competing stakeholder perspectives; 

• Commitment to, and experience using, holistic and strengths-based approaches, meeting participants where they are, as well as the ability to work with people from diverse backgrounds in a culturally responsive manner; 

• Experience working with drug/alcohol treatment, mental health services, co-occurring disorders, trauma-informed and strengths-based approaches strongly preferred; 

• Experience working with and addressing the specific needs of young adults, LGBTQ+ people, and women strongly preferred; 

• Excellent organization and time management skills; 

• Strong writing and verbal communication skills; and 

• Bilingual (English-Spanish) preferred. 

Position Type:  Full-time, Monday - Friday from 9:00am - 5:00pm.

Position Location: Manhattan, NY.

Compensation: The compensation range for this position is $68,500 - $91,200 and is commensurate with experience. 

Benefits: 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 is unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa. 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.

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.