Social Worker, Felony Alternatives to Incarceration

THE ORGANIZATION

The Center for Justice Innovation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing community safety and racial justice. Since 1996, we’ve worked alongside communities, courts, and those most directly affected by the justice system to build stronger, healthier, and more equitable neighborhoods. With a team of over 900 staff and an annual budget of $130 million, the Center carries out its mission through three core strategies:

Backed by decades of on-the-ground experience and nationally recognized expertise, we bring innovative, practical, and lasting solutions to justice systems nationwide.

The Brooklyn Mental Health Court launched in 2002 as NYC’s first mental health court, serving individuals charged primarily with felony offenses who are living with serious mental illness. The program diverts participants from jail or prison by conducting clinical assessments and then connecting them with long‑term treatment in the community, along with rigorous judicial monitoring. The court aims to strengthen the justice system’s ability to identify, assess, and monitor individual participants, to create linkages between the justice and mental health systems, and to improve public safety by ensuring that participants receive high quality community‑based services.

The Brooklyn Felony ATI Program utilizes a similar model to Brooklyn Mental Health Court, serving individuals facing felony charges who are not otherwise eligible for Mental Health Court or other treatment courts in Brooklyn. The program receives referrals through two pathways: (1) the dedicated Felony ATI court part within Brooklyn Supreme Court, with a dedicated judge and supervising prosecutor; and (2) through other court parts throughout Brooklyn Criminal and Supreme Court.

Regardless of the referral pathway, all participants receive individualized assessments, onsite and community‑based services, compliance monitoring and judicial monitoring for the life of the case.

BMHC is seeking a Social Worker for its Brooklyn Felony Diversion programs. The Social Worker will serve individuals who are mandated to Brooklyn Mental Health Court and Felony Alternative to Incarceration (Felony ATI) programming through the Brooklyn Supreme Court. Reporting to the Clinical Director, the Social Worker is responsible for conducting psychosocial assessments, linking clients to a range of wrap‑around services, providing comprehensive trauma‑informed case management, compliance monitoring, and reporting for clients referred to the Brooklyn Mental Health Court and Brooklyn Felony ATI programs.

• Conduct comprehensive assessments and write detailed psychosocial evaluations for clients with complex clinical needs who are currently incarcerated.
• Render a diagnosis utilizing the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5-TR.
• Use structured assessment tools that utilize a risk‑needs‑responsivity model in order to identify the types of services a client will need to participate in during their mandate in order to reduce recidivism.
• Complete assessments within a specific timeframe.
• Communicate with collateral contacts of participants and review records for assessment purposes.
• Communicate with Rikers Island discharge planning and Correctional Health Services for updates and release coordination.
• Conduct reassessments with clients that required stabilization before proceeding with the assessment process.
• Collaborate with the Center’s Jail Population Review team to ensure ongoing communication regarding referrals for assessment.
• Collaborate and maintain strong relationships with court stakeholders including the judge, District Attorney’s office, and defense attorneys.
• Provide detailed treatment recommendations to court parties for services and treatment.
• Make appropriate referrals to community‑based organizations for additional services.
• Provide…