Avenues for Justice, Inc.

Avenues for Justice Expands Our HIRE Up Certification Trainings https://lnkd.in/gNj3U9vg

You Are Invited To AFJ’s Screening of Our Legacy Documentary on November 14th https://lnkd.in/g8QXNYCw

Avenues for Justice Thanks You For Celebrating 45 Years of Second Chances With Us At Our 2024 Gala https://lnkd.in/gUhKgaFj

Avenues for Justice Thanks You For Celebrating 45 Years of Second Chances With Us At Our 2024 Gala https://lnkd.in/eesfiveA

Additionally, the three areas cited by the article as having the largest surge of youth crime (southern Queens, the northern parts of Brooklyn and much of the Bronx), all have the highest levels of neighborhood disinvestment in NYC. In fact, the NYPD has even strategically invested millions of dollars in their OPTIONS program for young people in two neighborhoods in the Bronx and Brooklyn (with another soon opening in Queens) to make up for the resource disparities in those communities as a means of decreasing youth criminal activity. At AFJ, we push the boundaries of justice reform by offering real solutions—solutions rooted in the things which every young person needs to succeed - education, employment, support, mentorship, and opportunity. We encourage the author, the NYPD, and others looking to report on the percentage of young people involved in crime in the city, to check with outside sources and programs like Avenues for Justice, who are doing the work, and can provide an alternate viewpoint of the 'why' these statistics may rise, and can speak on how we are doing our part to address these issues head on. (3/3)

Research shows that the criminal court system does not effectively deter young people from committing crime, and it also does not prepare them for successful reentry after incarceration. In fact, young people who do not have access to these alternatives are more likely to find themselves re-arrested and re-incarcerated, experiencing disruptions to their education or employment and possibly enduring violence and abuse in detention facilities. The NY Times article briefly mentions the overall increase in crime nationwide and in the city and acknowledges that youth crime only accounts for 3.8% of all crime in New York City. This may leave one wondering why the author chose to focus on the law enforcement perspective while omitting the voices of those working with youth who are navigating the criminal justice system (or those same youth and their families). What we know from our work and from listening to young people who come to our two community centers in Harlem and the Lower East Side is that the article missed some essential factors that contributed to this most-recent increase in crime among youth: Children in New York City experienced life in the epicenter of an unprecedented global pandemic. The pandemic caused disruptions to education, severe backlog to mental health services, job loss, decrease in essential youth services, and for some, grief, and death. (2/3)

The Power of Second Chances for Court-Involved Youth On Sunday, October 20th the New York Times published an article titled Number of Young People Accused of Serious Crimes Surges in New York City. The article interprets data about youth criminal activity in New York City to offer criticism of the Raise the Age Act. This legislation ended the practice of trying 16- and 17-year-old offenders as adults, instead encouraging their participation in supportive programs, and offering social services to help create new opportunities for them. At Avenues for Justice (AFJ), we have been partnering with the court systems, as well as with Court-involved youth and their families, to offer alternative-to-incarceration (ATI) programming to young people in New York City for 45 years. We have seen ebbs and flows in the city’s crime rate and weathered multiple mayoral administrations and police commissioners, and one thing has always remained the same: young people who receive personalized support are less likely to be reconvicted. AFJ’s results mirror what research shows about ATI programs: our program yields better results than punitive approaches for court-involved youth. 94% of our Participants avoid reconviction after three years of enrollment in our program. Additionally, our Participants receive a variety of support that will better prepare them to chart a new path forward, including mental health support, cultural excursions, job readiness workshops, career certifications, education support, and more. (1/3)

Looking forward to the 2024 Second Chance Gala celebrating 45 Years of Second Chances this Thursday, October 24th! Get tickets and donate here: https://lnkd.in/enR2zt2A

Through a referral from Avenues for Justice, we are incredibly proud of AFJ Participant Amari for completing the plumbing certification at Positive Workforce. He also just started his electrical training and was happy to show off some of the work that he is learning. Positive Workforce, Inc. was founded in 1987 as a New York City minority advocacy and employment service organization. Its mission is to assist members of the local community in obtaining both entry-level and Journeyman positions in the construction industry by working with major developers and contractors to ensure proper community participation. Positive Workforce has succeeded in providing thousands of jobs in the construction industry throughout NYC. The jobs obtained have salaries that are among the most competitive in New York City. After placement, Positive continues to assist participants by working with developers and contractors in tracking placement attendance, accountability and work performance thereby retaining their employment. We are incredibly proud of Amari and are looking forward to our continued partnership with Positive Workforce to find our young adults employment in good paying and competitive jobs throughout the city!

AFJ STAFF SHOUTOUT! Starting last month, we began to highlight everyone on our growing and expanding team. This week, we are taking time to highlight Harlem Court Advocate Jalil Abdurraheem! Prior to onboarding Jalil as a Court Advocate, he facilitated weekly fitness classes at AFJ’s Harlem and Lower East Side centers as a community partner. With more than 15 years of experience in the fitness industry, Jalil helped our Participants achieve and exceed their personal goals for muscle building, toning and conditioning. Jalil is certified as a Boxing Instructor and holds certifications from the American Sports & Fitness Association for Personal Training and Advanced Senior Fitness Instruction. After being incarcerated for over 20 years, Jalil’s background and story resonates with our Participants because he understands the circumstances, peer pressure and obstacles that many of our young people experience in their communities. With the benefit of hindsight, Jalil has lived experience he can share with our Participants on how to avoid making some of the same mistakes that he made as a teenager. You can also learn more about Jalil by watching his interview with MONICA MORALES on PIX11!