AlbanyWorks! Community Court Initiative - Program Enhancement

The City of Albany Municipal Court is requesting consideration for the award of a Bureau of Justice Assistance FY24 National Community Courts Initiative Category 2 grant for the 48-month grant period. The court proposes to enhance and expand its Albany Works! Community Court Initiative. The targeted population includes individuals who have repetitive misdemeanor offenses, including veterans and individuals between the ages of 18-40 years, who are deemed undereducated (no high school diploma or GED), underemployed, and/or are homeless.

The city's initial project was designed to test concepts to expand alternative sentencing options for the court through the identification of causation of citizen recidivism and connecting citizens to the appropriate social service and educational interventions within the community that could support individuals on their pathway to self-sufficiency. The first 15 months of operations resulted in underserved individuals completing the program on an average of 12 months with a minimum of 3 months.

This Category 2 enhancement request would support program expansion and service delivery over a four-year period, supporting the execution of the Albany Works! Community Court 5-year strategic plan, created in February 2024 by a cross-section of community partners and citizens from the six city commission wards and the court's five county jurisdiction. Program enrollment would be expected to be doubled each year with new cohorts being launched on a monthly basis (240 participants per year). This strategic plan envisions transformative change across four fundamental pillars – education, employment, community support, and restorative justice. By using a collaborative, evidence-based approach, the community impact will become more evident through the application of restorative justice principles in all the work, the partnership collaboration, and the sustainable process improvements.

Project activities include establishment of a Community Court Advisory Board; the Accountability Coaches Program; development and implementation of a multidisciplinary case management and coordination team; additional satellite court and service locations; creation of an employment internship/apprenticeship program; and enhancement of the behavioral health and wellness components for the participants and their families. Expected outcomes include higher completion rates for court mandates, court recidivism rate reduction increases in education enrollment and completion (GED/technical college/traditional college), increases in employment rates, and expansion of personal and professional coping skills (evidenced in wellness and mental health indicators). Subrecipient activities include vocational skills development, career planning, workplace soft skills development, and entrepreneurial development.