Court Advocate

For 47 years, Avenues for Justice (AFJ) has diverted thousands of justice impacted young people, ages 13– 24, across New York City from a punitive criminal justice system to our community-based support program designed to help them lead success full lives.In addition to our core program of court advocacy, we provide our HIRE Up enrichment services on a hybrid platform at our Harlem and Lower East Side Community Centers for workforce training, education, mental health wellness and mentoring. AFJ works with 600+ Participants each year who are justice impacted. On average, 94% of our Court-involved Participants are not reconvicted within three years of enrollment to our program. General Responsibilities Understand, practice and promote the vision, mission, and values of the organization. Provide court advocacy, direct services and second chances for young people in New York City, diverting them from incarceration, engagement with law enforcement and the criminal justice system. Maintain a caseload of 20 Participants, monitor active legal proceedings and serve as an advocate for Participants during court proceedings. Specific Duties and Responsibilities Interview Participants referred for assistance. Develop an individualized plan for each Participant which includes comprehensive counseling, crisis intervention, referrals for treatment, supervision and court advocacy as needed. Establish and maintain trust and rapport with each assigned Participant and their family. Outreach and develop partnerships with all sectors of the court system, criminal justice system and represent the agency at events and outreach forums. Develop and maintain rapport with community stakeholders, peer and partner organizations, schools, and community leaders. Maintain progress on all Participants and submit summary statistical/data and progress reports on a regular basis. Perform all other duties as assigned by the Chief Program Officer and Manager of Court Advocacy. Additional Qualifications A bachelor’s degree is required, but candidates with demonstrated experience with youth and/or the juvenile justice field or lived experience will be considered. The position also requires the ability to communicate effectively with youth and young adults, parents, court personnel and key stakeholders in the criminal justice system. Strong computer literacy in Word, Excel, and database management systems is a must. Spanish fluency is a plus. Full time, Monday to Friday schedule; with occasional evenings. The salary is $66,300. All full-time employees receive an excellent benefits package including health and dental insurance, a 401k retirement plan, sick and paid vacation time. Avenues for Justice welcomes diversity in all its forms and believes that its mission can only be achieved when diversity is leveraged across all areas, including race, gender, gender expression, age, and life experience. Avenues for Justice is committed to building a diverse and inclusive team and strongly encourages applications from individuals of all backgrounds. We provide equal opportunity for all applicants and employees. #J-18808-Ljbffr Avenues for Justice