Avenues For Justice
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Mission Statement
In a nation that imprisons over a quarter million teens each year - with African American youth four times more likely and Hispanic youth 28% more likely to be incarcerated than their white peers - Avenues for Justice (AFJ) has provided a path forward for thousands of African American and Hispanic young people, preventing them from being stigmatized with a criminal record for the rest of their lives. Incorporated in 1979, Avenues for Justice (then known as the Andrew Glover Youth Program) was one of the first alternatives to incarceration (ATI) programs for youth in the country. AFJ helped to facilitate the creation of Manhattan’s Supreme Court Youth Part where youth are prosecuted and tried separately from adults---a model now used nationwide. Since our modest start in the Lower East Side, Avenues for Justice’s (AFJ) goal has been to keep youth and young adults out of prison through a three-fold mission to: 1. Intervene to divert and reclaim young people from lives of crime. 2. Provide an overloaded court system a reliable alternative to incarceration. 3. Make New York City a safer place for everyone. Our approach is cost effective. It costs New York taxpayers $500,000 a year to incarcerate one young person in a state juvenile facility, whereas it only costs AFJ $6,300 to put one Participant through a full year of our wraparound services which lead to employment, academic success, and long-term stability. On average, 94% of our court-involved Participants are not reconvicted within three years of enrollment at AFJ and 87% are not reconvicted within six years of enrollment.
About This Cause
Avenues for Justice serves two main groups of Participants, ages 13 to 24: 1) “Court-Involved” Participants who have active legal proceedings, diversion (referred by Family Court for shorter mandates), formerly incarcerated, or in the process of reentry; and 2) “At-Risk” Participants who are at-risk of involvement with the criminal justice system or who receive short-term assistance or referrals to third party specialists better suited to meet their needs. The majority of our Participants come to us with gaps in their education and lack adequate job skills which Avenues for Justice works to fill. During the pandemic quarantine, they were further impacted by the quick switch to remote education and loss of income. In 2020, with our city shut down, (including our community centers in Harlem and Lower East Side), AFJ immediately moved all services online, digitally equipped Participants’ homes with internet and laptops, and launched our HIRE UP program. Services for the Court-Involved and At-Risk Participants are provided online and onsite at AFJ’s two community centers in Harlem and the Lower East Side, and at AFJ’s headquarters inside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse. Court-Involved Participants receive free court advocacy services with intensive case management. All Participants receive HIRE UP services for job readiness and certification, teen empowerment and legal rights, life skills training, mental and physical health wellness, academic support and tutoring. AFJ also provides referrals to third party specialists for all Participants when needed. AFJ Participants live in 42 of New York City's 51 Council Districts. AFJ's development of a hybrid program platform in response to COVID-19 was a major factor for AFJ's expansion into the outer boroughs. Moreover, AFJ’s centers are located in the neighborhoods where our Participants live. The centers serve as safe, community gathering places.