NYC Center for Economic Opportunity

Combining evidence-based practices in workforce development, youth development, community development, and prisoner reentry, the NYC Justice Corps prepares young adults who have been involved in the criminal justice system to succeed in the labor market and address educational needs while giving back to their communities in meaningful, restorative, visible and lasting ways. The NYC Justice Corps provides services to young adults in their home neighborhoods; in turn, these communities develop the capacity to successfully reintegrate their young adults.

Problem Statement
Combining evidence-based practices in workforce development, youth development, community development, and prisoner reentry, the NYC Justice Corps prepares young adults who have been involved in the criminal justice system to succeed in the labor market and address educational needs while giving back to their communities in meaningful, restorative, visible and lasting ways. The NYC Justice Corps provides services to young adults in their home neighborhoods; in turn, these communities develop the capacity to successfully reintegrate their young adults.

Research & Evidence
The Civic Justice Corps (CJC) concept was piloted several years ago in Oregon. The Community Justice Department for Deschutes County, Oregon, organized probationers and parolees into a workforce team available for public, community based projects. The goals of this program were two-fold: to teach court-involved individuals new skills and to host a highly visible illustration of these individuals' contributions to the local community. This intervention was quickly recognized as promising for court involved youth, and, in 2006, the U.S. Department of Labor funded the expansion of the project to 11 sites. Researchers Gordon Bazemore and David Karp describe CJC programs as having the following core attributes:

• Community service acts as a restorative practice that repairs harm caused by persons under criminal justice supervision to victims and communities and provides a tangible public benefit;
  
• Persons under criminal justice supervision benefit from participating in community service, enhancing their ability to be law-abiding and productive citizens; and
  
• Service is a mechanism to rebuild severed relationships between lawbreakers and community members, and re-establish trust and positive status of offenders in the community.

In an evaluation of a Canadian juvenile offender community service program, researchers found that participants often maintained relationships with supervising agencies and a few were hired after completing required service hours. Studies that compare community service participation with alternative sentences document some reduction in recidivism, or at the very least, no increase in recidivism.

Although the CJC model has yet to be rigorously evaluated, extensive research has been conducted on similar youth-focused programs, including Job Corps and JOBSTART. Job Corps is the longest federally run job-training program for young adults. The program serves disadvantaged youth, ages 16 to 24, and provides comprehensive education, training, health care, and counseling services in a residential setting. In addition, a small annual stipend is provided. Research demonstrates that 47% of the participants who entered the program without a high school degree succeeded in obtaining a GED during a follow-up period, compared to 29% in a control group. Furthermore, 37% of participants reported receiving a vocational certificate, compared to 15% of control group members. By the fourth year of follow-up study there was also a 12% earnings gain for program group members versus control group members. The estimated average reduction of welfare receipts per participant was $640, a statistically significant amount.

JOBSTART, in contrast, is a nonresidential version of Job Corps. The program is targeted to economically disadvantaged school dropouts ages 17 to 21 who have a below 8th-grade reading level. Participants received 200 hours of basic education and 500 hours of occupational training, but no stipend or extensive support services. Research suggests that by the end of 48 months, 42% of the experimental group compared to 29% of the control group had received their GED or diploma. In addition, occupational training yielded a 16-point rise in the receipt of trade certificates (from 17% to 33%). However, the program showed no statistically significant impact on earnings or employment.

Several transitional jobs programs targeted to adult populations with multiple barriers to employment, such as low educational attainment, lack of work experience, and substance abuse problems, have also been evaluated. For example, an evaluation of the Community Jobs program in Washington State, which provides high needs welfare recipients with temporary paid employment along with mentoring and training, found that the employment rates of participants increased by 33% over the rate they would have achieved without completing the program. This increase was better than that of participants in other state programs [i.e., workfare, job search, pre-employment training]. Moreover, a worker's successful completion of the program added nearly $800 in quarterly earnings compared to anticipated income before participation. The results for all participants after two years show that average income increased 60% and was close to 150% more than the TANF grant. Almost three-quarters of all welfare recipients who entered the Community Jobs program worked after leaving the program. Only 13% did not engage in work after finishing the program.

A Mathematica Policy Research study of six major transitional job programs across the country, including the Transitional Work Corporation program in Philadelphia and the Community Jobs Program in San Francisco found that between 81% and 94% of participants who successfully completed one of these programs were placed in unsubsidized employment after their transitional jobs ended. However, program retention was a problem and on average, only half of participants completed the program.

The sole exception to this poor retention problem was the GoodWorks! Program in Augusta, GA. It had a completion rate of 82%. Several key factors seem to contribute to this program's success. First, the program arranged for job developers from the State Department of Labor and the county job training authority to co-locate with the primary employment service provider (Goodwill Industries). Staff from these agencies collaborated with the service provider to conduct job search and readiness workshops, create individual employment plans for clients, and develop job opportunities with employers. The program also implemented a "phasing" process, where after four months in transitional job placement, the number of hours a participant is required to work decreases and the number of hours required for job search activities increases. Participants thereby had more of a chance to benefit from staff support while practicing job search skills.

Program Description
The NYC Justice Corps brings young adults involved with the criminal justice system together with their communities to identify and address unmet community needs. Through meaningful and reparative service to their communities, internships, and job and educational opportunities, the NYC Justice Corps provides Corps members practical skills, social support and leadership training. By actively partnering with the NYC Justice Corps, communities own the success and reintegration of their young adults. The NYC Justice Corps aims to improve the education and employment outcomes of Corps members, keep them out of the criminal justice system, and support community development in specific New York City communities.

The initiative employs a sequenced model. The first month includes: Corps member orientation and individual assessments, skill-building and team-building activities, community project scoping, selection, and/or matching. In months 2-4 Corps members engage as a team in executing projects that repair and improve the community. These projects must be lasting, visible, safe and environmentally sound, they must also fulfill an unmet and valued community need. Through this service learning model, Corps members: build individual soft skills and teamwork ability, and leadership skills; are provided with an opportunity to "repair" harmed communities; and are prepared for internship placements and their eventual successful entry into the labor market. In months 5 and 6 Corps members are placed in a subsidized internship with job coaching and support. This phase helps Corps members assess their work-readiness by simulating real work experience and expanding their professional networks. At the end of the internship, Corps members graduate from the Justice Corps but receive continued support in pursuing employment and educational goals for a minimum of six months (total Corps member engagement is up to one year). In addition to expanding Corps members' long-term employment prospects, program enrollment provides Corps members with stipends in the amount of $8-$9 per hour.

The NYC Justice Corps is a collaborative project led by local government in close partnership with private community service providers. The City University of New York (CUNY), through John Jay College of Criminal Justice, oversees all contracts. In partnership with the NYC Departments of Correction and Probation, John Jay College provides policy direction and program development support. The Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation and the Phipps Community Development Corporation provide direct services in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn and the South Bronx, respectively. The Center for Employment Opportunities provides technical assistance and capacity building to these two community-based organizations.

Evaluation Framework
In just its pilot year of operations, the NYC Justice Corps continues to internally evaluate itself as various components of the model are being tested for effectiveness, refined or enhanced in real time as more is learned from operating the program. In addition to the ongoing internal evaluation of the program's development, CUNY, via John Jay College, has contracted with an independent organization, Westat, Inc. in partnership with Metis Associates, to conduct a multi-year double-pronged evaluation of the initiative: A process evaluation will report on the effectiveness of the first year's development; results from this phase of the evaluation are expected to be released in 2009. Additionally, an outcome evaluation is being implemented using a random assignment design and will assess the program's long-term impact on Corps members and the communities in which Corps members reside and complete program service; the outcome evaluation will be complete in 2012.

Target Population
The program serves young adults ages 18 to 24 who are on probation, parole, recently discharged from the NYC jail system or NYS prison, or currently or recently enrolled in an alternative-to-incarceration program. A majority of the Corps members (80%) must reside in one of the following two target areas: Mott Haven, Melrose, and Morrisiana (CD 1 and CD 3) in the South Bronx, and Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn (CD 3).

Expected Outcomes

Short-Term:

• Provide tangible job skills and increase employability and educational level of Corps members
  
• Expand positive social networks for Corps members
  
• Provide tangible developments to the community through project service

Long-Term:

• Retain Corps members in permanent, unsubsidized employment or educational activities
  
• Reduce recidivism rate among Corps members
  
• Develop the communities' capacity to provide direct services to formerly incarcerated individuals
  
• Repair relationships between formerly incarcerated young adults and their communities