Senior Policy Advisor, New York Legal Policy

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

Led by the New York Legal Policy Team—court practitioners, clinical staff, and research and policy experts focused on developing and implementing critical operational and policy reforms and improving coordination between justice system stakeholders—the Center for Court Innovation is launching two transformative initiatives to improve case processing efficiency in criminal cases and to reduce the jail population, all while improving the public safety impact of the criminal legal system.

Reporting to the Director of New York Legal Policy, and in close collaboration with the program operations, intergovernmental affairs, communications, data analytics and applied research, and research teams, the Senior Policy Advisor, New York Legal Policy will support these initiatives and the Center’s other policy projects in New York City and State.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Assist in the planning of a major citywide project to reduce pretrial case delays in close collaboration with the New York State Unified Court System and all New York City criminal justice system stakeholders;
• Conduct quantitative analyses related to case processing, criminal sentences, jail population trends, arrests, and other relevant subjects;
• Assist with the development of a first of its kind program to review all individuals in custody for eligibility for jail alternatives;
• Answer critical policy questions in real-time using quantitative methods;
• Liaise with all relevant system stakeholders, agencies, and organizations to communicate observed trends to advance policy and operational reforms;
• Give presentations on the New York Legal Policy Team’s efforts to reduce case delays
• Prepare written materials and publications;
• Assist in expanding the Center’s work on relevant policy issues, including grant proposals and relevant activities;
• Additional relevant tasks, as needed.

Position Type: Full-time, salaried exempt.

Location:  Midtown Manhattan

Qualifications: The ideal candidate will have:

• M.A. or Ph.D. in Criminology, Data Science, Data Analytics, Sociology, or other related field involving the intersection between quantitative and qualitative research and policy;
• Extensive expertise with New York City and State criminal justice data and related information networks;
• Detailed familiarity with the New York City criminal justice policy landscape, including all relevant stakeholders and their relationships to the legal system;
• Demonstrated experience quickly translating complex data into actionable policy positions;
• Intergovernmental affairs experience, or a demonstrated history communicating complex data trends to non-researchers.

Compensation: The compensation range for this position is $120,000 - $140,000 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%.