Launched in October 2012, Queens Justice Corps (QJC) is a six-month program serving young people residing in southeast Queens who have recent involvement in the justice system. Participants work with QJC staff to develop individualized educational and career plans as part of the program’s promotion of educational advancement and employment readiness. Participants also meet with a Community Advisory Board, consisting of community leaders and stakeholders, to plan and initiate community benefit projects.

Based in Jamaica, Queens, and led by CASES in collaboration with Safe Space, QJC utilizes a youth development framework emphasizing high expectations and accountability. The program is overseen by the Prisoner Reentry Institute of John Jay College, CUNY, with funding from the NYC Center for Economic Opportunity and Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Young Men’s Initiative.

Screening

CASES screens youth for enrollment in QJC based on referrals from the NYC Department of Probation, NYS Division of Parole, community-based and/or alternative-to-incarceration organizations, specialized courts, and community members. Young people ages 18-24 with recent justice system involvement who reside in southeast Queens can also contact program staff to discuss eligibility.

Referrals to QJC

Services

Services include education instruction/counseling, case management, service learning projects, work-readiness training, internship/job placements, support for college application/enrollment, and stipends for achieving program goals. Staff also broker community resources, including mental health, substance abuse, and legal services, to help participants overcome barriers to success.

Queens Justice Corps is overseen by the Prisoner Reentry Institute of John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY, and made possible through funding from the NYC Center for Economic Opportunity and Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Young Men’s Initiative.