THE ORGANIZATION
The Center for Court Innovation is committed to reducing crime and incarceration, addressing violence, supporting survivors, and building communities while strengthening public trust in justice. The Center seeks justice for marginalized groups, bringing an equity lens – particularly a racial and gender equity lens – to its work. For 25 years, the Center has worked to foster justice and equity to create safe, healthy, and thriving communities and, ultimately, to transform the justice system.
The Center is an 800-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 Court, 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
Researchers at the Center conduct independent evaluations, documenting how government systems work, how neighborhoods function, and how reform efforts change things. We believe in the “action research” model; accordingly, our researchers provide regular feedback on the results of the Center’s own operating programs. The Center has published studies on topics including youth in the sex trade, reentry, gun violence, and drug treatment as an alternative to incarceration. Our researchers have been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals.
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.
THE OPPORTUNITY
The Red Hook Community Justice Center is the nation’s first multi-jurisdictional community court, hearing criminal, housing and family matters under one roof with a single judge. The Justice Center’s mission is to solve community problems: strengthening families, assisting court-involved youth, preventing evictions, addressing harm when it occurs and working to prevent harm before it takes place. Those with cases in court are sentenced to community restitution and linked to a full range of on-site and community-based social services, including drug treatment, mental health services, family mediation, GED, and domestic violence intervention.
The Red Hook Community Justice Center is seeking a Clinical Director. Reporting to the Project Director, the Clinical Director, along with the Director of Court Operations, leads the Justice Center’s Community Healing and Wellness program. The Clinical Director will oversee all clinical services at the Justice Center, managing a team of social workers and case managers who provide assessments, counseling, treatment, case management, and compliance monitoring for participants facing a range of issues, such as mental illness, substance use, trauma, and violence – including both survivors and perpetrators of harm - with a goal of contributing to a healthy, resilient, thriving community. In addition to overseeing the daily operations of the clinic, the Clinical Director will assist the Project Director and work collaboratively with the Director of Court Operations on strategic planning, grant management, program development, and other initiatives.
Responsibilities include but are not limited to:
- Oversee the day-to-day operations of the clinical team, including assignment of cases, reviewing clinical assessments and recommendations, supervising all counseling and clinical work, communicating with the court, monitoring of clients in treatment, and various administrative tasks to ensure the provision of comprehensive, trauma-informed, culturally-responsive clinical services that address issues such as intimate partner violence, substance use, trauma, mental illness, and housing and vocational needs;
- Manage a team of staff members that include social workers, case managers, and interns, and provide clinical supervision to all clinical staff focused on ensuring the provision of strong clinical programming to all participants and the professional development of staff
- Plan and facilitate weekly departmental meetings, clinical team meetings, and interdisciplinary treatment meetings with court stakeholders;
- Work in collaboration with other onsite program managers to facilitate referrals to the clinic and ensure that clinical staff are available as a resource those departments, such as Housing Resource Center, Peacemaking, and Youth/Community programs;
- Cultivate and maintain partnerships with local community-based providers and other social service agencies, schools, city agencies, public officials, clergy, tenant leaders and residents to develop new initiatives focused on trauma, substance use, intimate partner violence, victimization, and other issues
- Work closely with these partners and stakeholders to identify and engage eligible participants for referral, facilitate coordinated service-delivery, and provide expert consultation on trauma, substance use, and intimate partner violence;
- Identify and conduct or facilitate staff trainings and track staff training hours;
- Develop and implement new programs, initiatives, and/or interventions that increase access to resources, interrupt cycles of violence and increase community safety, including opportunities for healing with those who have been harmed, and opportunities for accountability with those who have engaged in harm.
- Liaise and work collaboratively with judge, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and other court and programmatic staff throughout the building, including offering trainings and resources to keep stakeholders informed of current research and best practices in the field;
- Represent Community Healing and Wellness and the Justice Center at site visits, community meetings, stakeholder meetings, community events, as well as presenting at conferences and providing guidance to the other Center for Court Innovation projects and jurisdictions.
- Identify best clinical practices, and test new clinical interventions, and implement them within the department, including identifying clinical training models and opportunities for professional development for staff;
- Participate in Clinical Director meetings and collaborate across sites to strengthen clinical programming, increase access to resources, and assist with the planning and implementation of clinical projects across CCI sites, including acting as a primary point person for procedures related to Red Hook’s clinical operations.
- Provide and supervise clinical crisis intervention;
- Conduct clinical assessments, where needed, and provide recommendations for services and treatment;
- Assist with program evaluation and research;
- Manage and monitor clients’ compliance with court treatment mandates;
- Ensure that staff maintain appropriate and up-to-date client information in electronic database and hard files;
- Assist with toxicology testing, where needed;
- Assist with grant management, grant writing, and program development for a range of justice initiatives including grants focused on justice-involved clients and clients who are survivors of violence;
- Oversee program evaluation including client feedback surveys and work with the research department to analyze data and identify trends, gaps in service and unmet needs;
- Oversee program spending and contracting with consultants and vendors;
- Other relevant duties, as assigned.
Qualifications: Candidate must have an LMSW or LCSW degree (LCSW preferred) and a minimum of 6 years of relevant professional experience, including supervisory experience. SIFI certification strongly preferred. The ideal candidate will have a strong background and professional experience in intimate partner violence, both working with survivors as well as those who have caused harm. Candidate must be a skilled communicator and willing to work collaboratively with a variety of court personnel, on-site and off-site partner agencies, and staff from other departments and programs within the Justice Center. Candidate must be open to constructive engagement with differing, and at times competing, perspectives within the court-based social work practice. Candidate must be committed to and have experience using holistic and strengths-based approaches, as well as have the ability to work with people from diverse backgrounds in a culturally competent manner—including both mandated and voluntary clients. Candidate should also be comfortable working with both adolescents and adults, and ideally have knowledge of community-based resources in Southwest Brooklyn. Experience with restorative justice as well as previous work with court-involved populations, with people struggling with substance use, with those who have been harmful in their intimate relationships, and with survivors of violence is also strongly preferred. Spanish fluency is a plus.
Compensation: The compensation range for this position is $83,110 to $107,910 and is commensurate with experience. The Center for Court 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 Court Innovation is an equal opportunity employer. The Center does not discriminate on the basis of 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 seek applications from women, people of color, members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities as well as individuals with prior contact with the criminal justice system.
As of September 9, 2021, all new hires are required to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus, unless they have been granted a reasonable accommodation for medical, disability or religious reasons by the Center’s Human Resources Department.
In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete an employment eligibility verification document form upon hire. Only applicants under consideration will be contacted. No phone calls please.