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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Shlomit Levy, Project Director of Brooklyn Felony Diversion Programs at Center for Justice Innovation
3:44:03
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130 sec
Shlomit Levy from the Center for Justice Innovation testified about their various programs aimed at reducing incarceration and providing alternatives to detention. She emphasized the success of their felony and misdemeanor alternatives to incarceration programs, mental health court, and supervised release initiatives.
- The center's programs have high success rates, with 82% of felony ATI participants completing their programming in 2024.
- Project Reset has helped over 10,000 cases avoid court and criminal records through pre-arraignment and rapid reset models.
- The center supports expanding the 6A work release program and providing reentry supervision for short-term sentences to reduce the jail population.
Shlomit Levy
3:44:03
Good afternoon chair nurse and esteemed members of the Committee on Criminal Justice.
3:44:07
My name is Shlomit Levy and I serve as the Project director of the Center for Justice Innovations Brooklyn Felony Diversion Programs, which include Brooklyn Mental Health Court and Brooklyn Felony Alternatives to Incarceration.
3:44:17
Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.
3:44:20
The center supports the commission in advocating for meeting the treatment needs of people incarcerated, and by connecting individuals with the resources necessary to live successfully in the community.
3:44:30
Our teams work throughout all stages of involvement within the legal system, with court stakeholders and community based service providers to address needs including mental health, substance use, employment, and housing.
3:44:41
In 2024, '80 '2 percent of our felony ETI participants, including Manhattan Justice Opportunity, successfully completed their programming.
3:44:49
Our misdemeanor ETIs feature the same monitoring and case management in addition to tailored referrals to services.
3:44:56
With Brooklyn Mental Health Court, specifically, we serve youth and adults with serious mental illness.
3:45:02
Over 1,400 participants have received treatment and satisfied their program requirements.
3:45:07
For the past ten years, Project Reset has helped more than 10,000 cases avoid court and a criminal record, which includes the pre arraignment model, as well as our same day at arraignment rapid reset programming.
3:45:19
This rapid reset model has become increasingly popular as clients are not always able to be reached prior to their court appearance.
3:45:25
The center runs supervised release, an alternative to detention program in Brooklyn and Staten Island.
3:45:30
Decreasing pretrial detention is an important step in shrinking the number of incarcerated people.
3:45:35
The center also supports the commission's recommendation to expand the 6A work release program and provide reentry supervision for people serving sentences of less than a year.
3:45:44
The center co ran the 6A program during the COVID pandemic, releasing nearly 300 people who had been sentenced to jail into a supervised release program.
3:45:53
We recommend that council utilize these programs to reduce the burden of the current jail population, facilitating the transition to the borough based jail system.
3:46:01
These programs hold people accountable while promoting healing and strengthening public trust in the justice system.
3:46:06
We urge counsel to remain steadfast in their commitment to closing Rikers, and welcome the opportunity to be a partner on this mission.
3:46:13
Thank you.