Pre-Trial Release Specialist

Overview

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:

• Operating Programs that pilot new ideas and address local challenges;
• Conducting original research to evaluate what works—and what doesn’t; and
• Providing expert assistance and policy guidance to reformers across the country and beyond.

Backed by decades of on-the-ground experience and nationally recognized expertise, we bring innovative, practical, and lasting solutions to justice systems nationwide. Learn more about our work ovatingjustice.org.

The Onondaga County Pretrial Release Program (OC-PRP) provides an alternative to pretrial detention and bail by ensuring that individuals facing criminal charges attend their court appearances and avoid rearrest whilst remaining in their communities. This is achieved through regular check-ins with dedicated program staff who provide support and facilitate connections to community-based programs, services, and resources. OC-PRP reduces detention-related costs while keeping individuals in their communities, jobs, and with their families during the pendency of their case.

The program s success is due to the Center s longstanding ability to integrate research and evidence-based practices to increase safety in partnership with the courts and local communities. In OC-PRP, this includes identifying individuals who would be most likely to benefit from the program using a validated release assessment and clinical expertise to engage, support, and connect participants to community-based service providers who can meaningfully meet participants  service and resource needs.

The Center s Upstate office seeks five Pre-Trial Release Specialists. The Pre-Trial Release Specialists are key to ensuring the program provides high quality service to OC-PRP participants and meets obligations to court stakeholders. Reporting to the Associate Director of Program Operations, the Pre-Trial Release Specialists will supervise participants according to their supervision level; work with participants to identify and address barriers to compliance and court attendance;

conduct outreach to participants, court stakeholders, community-based service providers; make referrals to appropriate services in the community that support participant stability and maintain accurate and timely court reporting on participants  compliance with program requirements.

• Court & Arraignments:
  Appear in daily arraignments, including nights and weekends, to provide pre-trial release program information and orientation to newly mandated participants;
• Appear in other court parts where participants have court hearings, including nights and weekends;
• Track cases and complete court-based data entry for newly released participants;
• Provide written and verbal case updates to the court and court staff, including compliance reporting, as appropriate;
• Provide participants with immediate connection to program staff or other service providers, as needed;
• Ensure all newly released participants are scheduled for program intake or re-release check-in; and
• Maintain professional communication with defense attorneys, prosecutors, court staff, and other justice system stakeholders.

• Participant Intakes & Assessments:
  Conduct interviews with defendants and collect relevant information regarding criminal history, community ties, residence, employment, and family support;
• Complete intake forms and assessments in a timely and accurate manner;
• Determine eligibility for pretrial release based on established program criteria and make recommendations to the court;
• Conduct risk assessments and complete required documentation for court presentation; and
• Gather and verify collateral information through contact with family members, employers, service providers, and other relevant sources.

• Case…