Position Available at CASES
Job Title:Senior Policy Consultant,
two-year part-time consultancy contract
Compensation commensurate with experience
The Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services (CASES), a private nonprofit organization, combines expertise in alternatives to incarceration services, pilot projects, and collaborations with government and community leaders to improve outcomes for New York City residents involved in the criminal justice system. CASES is seeking a creative problem solver and able facilitator to lead an important public policy and advocacy initiative linked to the agency’s new Transitional Case Management (TCM) program.
Under the joint leadership of CASES and the NYC Department of Correction, a Stakeholder Group has been formed as a subcommittee of the NYC Discharge Planning Collaboration’s Diversion Workgroup. The NYC Discharge Planning Collaboration (DPC) is a partnership of city agencies, advocates, service providers, research institutions, and foundations dedicated to combating homelessness and recidivism in NYC through public policy and systems change. The Stakeholder Group is charged with identifying defendants with mental illness and co-occurring substance abuse disorders and divert them out of the criminal justice system at arraignment and into supportive community services. This will decrease the use of short jail sentences for this population, furthering the goals of TCM.
Responsibilities
The Senior Policy Consultant will report to CASES President/Chief Executive Officer and work closely with CASES’ Director of Mental Health Programs. S/he will develop and carry out work plans to meet the project’s goals. The Senior Policy Consultant will coordinate the work of the Stakeholder Group and its subgroups, and will facilitate regular meetings in close collaboration with CASES and the Department of Correction. The Senior Policy Consultant will work closely with Stakeholder Group members to share good practices in the field, help to adapt them for use in Manhattan, and anticipate their consequences for mentally ill defendants and the criminal justice system. S/hewill lead the group in producing a policy document with recommendations for government agencies and for service providers. The Senior Consultant will also work closely with the TCM program staff and will consult on evaluation protocols to ensure that the program and policy developments are based on accurate data and are evaluated as they evolve.
We anticipate that the Senior Policy Consultant will work part-time, approximately three days a week. S/he may work as a consultant or become part of the CASES staff. Candidates should possess:
? A commitment to working hard for justice for persons with mental illness involved in the criminal justice system;
? Experience in project planning and project management;
? Experience and broad knowledge of criminal justice policy and practice is preferred but not necessary;
? Excellent written and oral communication skills;
? Experience in working creatively with a variety of partners, including members of government, program staff, advocates, elected and appointed officials, and criminal justice professionals;
? Ability to meet challenges with equanimity and to overcome them whenever possible;
? Ability to be a team player, a creative problem-solver;
? Appreciation for the importance of empirical analysis in program design and implementation;
? A law degree or other relevant advanced degree;
? Flexibility and a sense of humor are always appreciated; and
? At least ten years of relevant experience.
To apply: Please send a resume, salary requirements, and a cover letter detailing your specific qualifications by Monday, July 14th to: Joel Copperman, CASES, 346 Broadway, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10013, or e-mail jcopperman@cases.org with the words “Transitional Case Management Position” as the subject line.
TCM Background
Each year in the downtown Manhattan Criminal Court, over 50,000 misdemeanor cases are processed through arraignments. This could be an opportunity to link defendants with mental illness to needed services. Instead, mentally ill defendants are more likely to be detained and sentenced to jail, receiving short sentences that generally have no impact on recidivism rates, and may exacerbate symptoms of mental illness. CASES’ new TCM program serves repeat misdemeanor offenders with mental illness. It offers a voluntary case management program and linkage services in the community.
TCM is operated in conjunction with the New York City Departments of Correction and Health and Mental Hygiene, and benefits from the widespread support of other stakeholders. TCM is funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Office of the Criminal Justice Coordinator, the JEHT Foundation and the van Ameringen Foundation.
The TCM Stakeholder Group has begun to explore ways to decrease the use of short jail sentences by effectively diverting individuals with mental illness at arraignment out of the criminal justice system and into supportive community services. In order to effectuate change, the Stakeholder Group must identify the practices and policies that negatively affect misdemeanor offenders with mental illness, understand the reason(s) such practices and policies are in place, and work to change those practices and policies.
The goals for the planning process include: timely and accurate identification of mental illness in arraignments; improving judges’ understanding of mental illness; expanding the sentencing options available to the justice system for the target population; identifying barriers to the provision of ongoing services in the community; and developing and securing sustainable funding for the pilot services. The TCM policy initiative addresses CASES’ commitment to assisting justice system reform and policy change.
The Senior Policy Consultant position is funded with the generous two-year support of the JEHT Foundation's Criminal Justice Program. The JEHT Foundation works to bring the latest research and best practices to bear on efforts to make the criminal justice system a more effective mechanism for insuring public safety and guaranteeing fairness to individuals.