The New York City Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) announced on Monday, March 13, the three organizations it has recommended for funding with the aim of operating the NYC Family Court Alternative to Detention (ATD) programs. These are the Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services (CASES), which will serve youth in The Bronx and Manhattan; the Justice Innovation Center (JIC), which will serve youth in Queens and Staten Island; and Good Shepherd Services, which will serve youth in Brooklyn.

 

As reported, the Bronx Rises Against Gun Violence program operates within the framework of Good Shepherd Services in The Bronx.

 

According to ACS officials, ATD programs allow youth charged as “juvenile delinquents” in Family Court to remain at home with supervision and support while their case is pending, in lieu of entering a juvenile detention facility. The ATD programs have the capacity to serve up to 310 youth annually.

 

In the context of the announcement, Mayor Eric Adams said, in part, “Many young people in New York City just need a helping hand, and as someone who made mistakes as a young man, I know that juvenile detention is not always the best solution for young New Yorkers who might have made a mistake.” He added, “Today’s announcement [..] will allow our staff to focus on keeping young people at home in their community and connect them to services that will help put them on the path to a brighter future.”

 

Starting July 1, ACS officials said ATD programs will transition from the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice (MOCJ) to ACS. The latter oversees a large part of the juvenile justice continuum, including intensive family therapeutic services, mentoring, secure and non-secure juvenile detention, and residential options for young people placed on Family Court cases (Close to Home), according to city officials. The addition of ATD programs, they said, will extend the menu of diversion services ACS can offer to youth in the Family Court system.

 

The news was welcomed by deputy mayor for Health and Human Services, Anne Williams-Isom, who said, in part, “These programs will help keep families together and provide sustained services for young people and their families as they work to establish a positive path forward.  Thank you to our partner providers, to ACS, and to MOCJ for their work to make these supports available to young people and families in all five boroughs.”

 

City officials said the ATD programs will provide individualized supervision and support to affected youth while avoiding admission to juvenile detention for those who are safely able to remain in the community. They said the programs reduce recidivism and ensure affected youth return to court for appearances. Youth involved in the ATD programs are connected to age appropriate vocational, educational and social programming, and have access to internships, stipends and other needed support, according to ACS officials. Overall, the program will promote positive behaviors, healthy relationships and problem-solving skills, City officials said.

 

As reported, Bronxite, Kalief Browder, died by suicide in June 2015. It happened two years after he spent three years in jail on Rikers Island  while awaiting trial for allegedly stealing a backpack at age 16, and for which prosecutors charged him in adult criminal court. After years of delays with his case, the charges were eventually dropped. While detained at Rikers, Kalief endured attacks from both inmates and prison officers, as well as long periods in solitary confinement, which his family said caused him to become depressed.

 

After his release and eventual death, the City settled a civil lawsuit with the Browder family for $3.3 million. State legislation was later passed that raised the age of criminal responsibility to 18. Additionally, a new State law, Kalief’s Law, was later passed to ensure that a statement of “readiness” [in terms of the legal parties involved in a case] is real by tying it to discovery requirements, requiring the prosecution to possess evidence that they are in fact “ready” for trial, while allowing for flexibility when the facts of the case merit additional time.

 

Jess Dannhauser, commissioner for ACS, said ACS was pleased that ATD programs will be part of its continuum of services and looks forward to working with CASES, JIC and Good Shepherd Services to improve outcomes for New York City’s youth. “As part of the mayor’s vision to achieve safety, equity and justice by going upstream, these Alternative to Detention programs provide youth with the services and supports they need in their communities.” She added, “We, at ACS, know that when we invest in youth and surround them with positive opportunities, they thrive.”

 

On May 25, 2017, the corner of East 181st Street and Prospect Avenue on the Belmont / Tremont border was renamed “Kalief Browder Way” in his memory.