Court Advocate

Job Title: Court Advocate

Job Summary:

Are you a person looking to improve your skills in serving and advocating for individuals with criminal legal involvement? Are you interested in contributing to social justice for people impacted by the criminal legal system? If so, we need your skills on the new Reframing Opportunity, Alternatives & Resilience (ROAR) team at CASES ROAR is a new alternatives-to-detention/incarceration (ATD/ATI) that serves individuals of all genders, aged 16 to 27, with challenges in the community (including substance use problems); this program will directly help reduce the utilization of jails and prisons.

Come join our team's efforts to reduce the City's reliance on correctional institutions, promote justice, and help NYC achieve its goal to close Rikers Island in 2026. At CASES, we offer clinical supervision (which can be used toward licensure), free continuing education credits for LMSW/LCSWs and LMHCs, as well as a comprehensive training curriculum available to all employees. We are a diverse team at CASES, and we welcome candidates of all genders, races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and disabilities to apply.

We are seeking a Court Advocate for our Brooklyn ROAR team, who will join a multidisciplinary team comprised of a Team Leader, Senior Coach, Wellness Coach, Activities and Engagement Specialist, and Program Assistant. The ROAR team provides supportive case management and linkage to services aimed towards behavior modification. The role of the Court Advocate is to provide a link between the court and the ROAR program staff; this position will deliver ongoing updates to the court regarding ROAR participants' progress and will communicate information from the court to their ROAR teammates and the participants.

This position requires flexibility as court dates, call times and locations vary. In-person court appearances are expected.

Shift Hours: This position is full-time Monday - Friday from 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Salary: The salary for this role is $60,000 per year

Location Address: 4 West 125th Street, New York, NY 10027. Our office is easily accessible by public transportation.

Workplace Flexibility: Flexible - Staff have the flexibility to complete their workday from home or another suitable space, typically after reporting to the office and/or engaging in field or community-based work.

What You Will Be Doing:

• • Engage potential participants and their legal representation in and around the courtroom
  • Ensure participants understand the conditions of their mandate and engagement in CASES
  • Accompany participants to all court appearances and advocate to judges, verbally and through written court reports, for participants to be enrolled or maintained in the CASES diversion services
  • Effectively manage crises to ensure participant safety and well-being
  • Write professional and formal evaluation reports, in compliance with ATI requirements and quality standards, including court-ready reports in advance of scheduled court dates and in response to emergency or expedited situations
  • Collect and track information on participants' intake and re-arrest cases, as well as warrants
  • Notify the court when participants are not in compliance, have gone missing (absconded), failed to report as required, or have been rearrested
  • Maintain excellent professional relationships with judges, district attorneys, defense counsel, probation, and other court partners to facilitate program participation and maintain the credibility of CASES in court
  • Collaborate with ROAR teammates to ensure the court's community supervision conditions are being met
  • Participate in team case reviews, including review of assessments, verbal, and written advocacy, as well as work with ROAR teammates to develop ongoing supervision and treatment plans
  • Mentor less experienced teammates in the intricacies of Court procedures
  • Participate in clinical supervision, staff meetings, and in-service training programs
  • Participate in relevant quality improvement, staff training, coaching, and planning activities
  • Complete all necessary documentation, including entering participant information into the Salesforce databases
  • Provide culturally competent oversight, supervision, and management in accordance with the CASES policies and the delivery of excellent court services to address the needs of youth, young adults, adults, individuals with behavioral health needs, and the race and ethnicity, sexuality, gender, and criminal justice history of defendants and program participants
  • Required to be in court, or office 5 days per week
  • Perform other related duties as assigned by Team Leader

What We Are Looking For:

• • Bachelor's degree in social work
  • Highly articulate, resourceful, and professional - able to stand up in court; present detailed, persuasive arguments; and advocate with prosecutors and judges to approve continued participation in ATI program
  • Ability to work independently
  • Excellent analytical and written skills
  • Ability to work effectively with a diverse group of participants and staff
  • Interest in, and sensitivity to, issues facing individuals involved in the criminal legal system

Preferred Skills:

• • Fluency in Spanish
  • Experience working with individuals involved in the criminal legal system
  • Experience working with youth and young adults and people with mental illness

Employee Benefits:

CASES cares about employee well being, and we offer a comprehensive benefits package to support you and your family, including:

• • Medical
  • Dental
  • Vision
  • Vacation and Paid Time Off - starting at25 days-off annually, plus an additional summer self-care day
  • 12 Paid Holidays per year
  • Retirement 403b Competitive matching up to 6%
  • Employee Referral Program
  • Visit www.cases.org/careers/ to learn more about benefits offered by the CASES

Our Values

At CASES, we like to move with PURPOSE, which reflects our values:

PEOPLE| Hold people's stories with dignity

UNITY| Commit to a shared mission

RESPECT| Celebrate the strength of diversity

PROGRESS| Always work to improve

OPTIMIZE| Make the best use of resources

SOLUTIONS| Work together to solve problems

EMPATHY| Seek to understand others

Although we would love to learn about the skills of every candidate, only selected candidates that are selected will receive a response. We encourage you to apply for any position(s) you feel you are qualified for.

CASES is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment with CASES is based solely on qualifications and competence for a particular position without regard to race, color, ethnic or national origin, age, religion, creed, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or marital, military, or citizenship status. We also actively recruit individuals with prior involvement in the criminal legal system.

This position is full-time Monday - Friday from 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
35 hours per week

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