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, $100 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

One of the Center’s demonstration projects is Neighbors in Action, formerly known as the Crown Heights Community Mediation Center. Neighbors in Action provides anti-violence programs, youth programs, and resource links to community residents. Its mission is to encourage communication and understanding, prevent future conflicts, and help foster stronger, healthier neighborhoods. Save Our Streets (S.O.S.) Brooklyn includes two sites in Crown Heights and Bed-Stuy. S.O.S. is a replication of the Cure Violence program, a gun violence prevention model that aims to reduce and prevent shootings using public health strategies. 

Neighbors in Action is seeking a Violence Interrupter for the Save Our Streets (S.O.S.) Bed-Stuy program. Reporting to the Violence Interrupter Supervisor, the Violence Interrupter will work individually and as a team to prevent neighborhood shootings and killings. They will provide conflict mediation services and serve as conduits to the program’s Outreach Workers who work with program participants on a long-term basis. 

• Work with community partners and the rest of the S.O.S. team to identify and diffuse “hot spots” for shootings and violence; 
• Intervene in local conflicts to try to prevent an outbreak of violence, and work to prevent retaliations when violence does occur; 
• Identify youth who are at-risk for being involved in violent activities and assist them in connecting to S.O.S., and/or other Neighbors in Action programs such as Make It Happen, Youth Programs, and Legal Hand, as well as referring them to other community organizations and resources as needed; 
• Learn about the causes of shootings/killings in order to assist in mediating situations and preventing retaliation between individuals and groups (e.g., working with the community, conducting outreach programs to gain information that may be helpful in preventing additional killings); 
• Form relationships with the people who are at the highest risk of experiencing violence in the community, as well as the people who know them; 
• Conduct outreach to the community (individually and as a team member) to build strong relationships with youth, residents, and community groups; 
• Engage with local businesses and storefronts to spread understanding of the S.O.S. mission, build relationships, and increase public recognition of S.O.S. in the community; 
• Talk to residents in the S.O.S. Bed-Stuy catchment area about potential conflicts and assist in preventing them;
• Participate in organizing responses to shootings and increasing visibility when shootings/killings take place;
• Report to the S.O.S. Bed-Stuy Violence Interrupter Supervisor and keep them informed of all relevant community activities; 
• Document all contacts with high-risk individuals, as well as shootings and other acts of violence that are prevented in the catchment area; 
• Respond to shootings in other communities, as necessary; 
• Distribute public education materials to targeted audiences; 
• Distribute information about community events and important resources; 
• Attend all program trainings, community events, and shooting responses; 
• Attend weekly staff meetings and other team meetings, as required; 
• Attend and participate in all Neighbors in Action and Center for Court Justice trainings, meetings and conferences; and
• Additional relevant tasks, as necessary.

Qualifications: 

• Associates degree (or higher) in human services field or equivalent and satisfactory experience. 
• Reside in or have an in-depth knowledge of Crown Heights, especially the target area (Atlantic Avenue to Eastern Parkway, Kingston Avenue to Utica);
• Experience working with at-risk youth and gang members, and knowledge of the street sets, crews, gangs, and or groups is a must;
• Candidates must be able to walk 30 blocks or more on a regular basis, pass a drug screening, and work a flexible schedule that includes late evenings, weekends, and holidays;
• Must be willing to work in inclement weather;
• Excellent communication skills, commitment to working towards positive community change, and interest in learning new skills and information are a must for this position; and
• Candidates who are formerly incarcerated or have other experience in the criminal justice system are particularly invited to apply.

Position Type: Full-time, flexible schedule including late evenings, weekends and holidays. 

Position Location:  Brooklyn, NY

Compensation: The compensation range for this position is $52,000 - $57,500 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.

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.

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