About US
What is the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice (MOCJ)?
The Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice (MOCJ) develops innovative solutions to public safety challenges, reducing crime and incarceration.
We create vital programs that improve lives, generate community stability, and increase access to the support needed to maintain healthy and safe New York City neighborhoods.
Recognizing that public safety cannot be achieved by law enforcement alone, MOCJ moves our city forward by collaborating with community and institutional stakeholders to improve efficiency, accountability, and fairness in the justice system.
THE INTERCEPT MODEL
How the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice (MOCJ) Intervenes Across the Justice System
The Sequential Intercept Model is a strategic framework used to map out how individuals interact with the criminal justice system and where support or diversion can prevent deeper system involvement.
The Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice (MOCJ) applies this model across six key “intercepts,” spanning from community-based prevention through to reentry. At each stage, MOCJ funds and coordinates programs that combine direct services, cross-agency partnerships, data analysis, and legal reform.
Each intercept represents a point of opportunity: a moment when intervention can reduce harm, increase stability, and support people in navigating the justice system with dignity and care.
Intercept 0
Community Services
Prevention & Early Intervention
Education, restorative justice, and early outreach
Intercept 1
Law Enforcement
Offering alternatives at the point of arrest
Providing alternatives to formal charges or custody.
Intercept 2
Initial Court Hearings & Detention
Connecting people to services early in the court process
Court services & support, alternatives to detention
Intercept 3
Jails /
Courts
Reducing incarceration & supporting accountability
Prioritizing rehabilitation & community connection.
Intercept 4
Incarceration & Transition
Planning for successful reentry while detained
Re-Entry planning, behavioral health support, & housing coordination
Intercept 5
Community Transition & Re-Entry
Stabilizing people after release
Housing, continued case management, & connection to community resources.
Intercept 0
Community Services (Prevention & Early Intervention)
Preventing system involvement before it begins
We focus on community-level supports that address root causes of harm and vulnerability before law enforcement becomes involved.
Programs here offer education, restorative justice, and early outreach to populations at risk of entering the justice system, including survivors of violence and high-risk youth.
Intercept 1
Law Enforcement
Offering alternatives at the point of arrest
This stage includes law enforcement contact and provides alternatives to formal charges or custody.
Programs here are designed to divert eligible individuals into supportive pathways without escalating court involvement.
Intercept 2
Initial Court Hearings
Connecting people to services early in the court process
The moment someone first enters court, we offer structured alternatives to detention and incarceration. These programs provide supervision, assessment, and service referrals to stabilize individuals in community and reduce failure-to-appear rates.
Intercept 3
Jails & Courts
Reducing incarceration and supporting accountability
Here we focus on individuals with sentences and court involvement. MOCJ programs focus on alternatives to incarceration (ATI), community courts, and other supportive interventions that prioritize rehabilitation and community connection.
Intercept 4
Incarceration & Transition
Planning for successful reentry while detained
This stage focuses on preparing incarcerated individuals for their successful release and return to the community. Services include re-entry planning, behavioral health support, and housing coordination, starting well before discharge.
Intercept 5
Community Transition & Re-Entry
Stabilizing people after release
The final intercept provides long-term support after incarceration. Programs here focus on housing, continued case management, and connection to community resources.
We help justice-impacted individuals and their families rebuild stable foundations, reduce rearrests, and thrive post-release.
