OUR WORK

Our Programs

The Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice develops — and implements innovative programs that improve lives, public safety, and fairness in the justice system.

Programs by Issues / Focus Areas
Programs by Intercept

By Issues / Focus Area

All Programs

Employment & Small Businesses

Programs that help New Yorkers build pathways to stable, long-term employment—especially for those impacted by the justice system.

Through job training, internships, and career support, participants gain the tools to grow, contribute, and lead in their communities.

Education

Education is central to opportunity. These programs provide access to learning—from life skills and literacy to high school equivalency and vocational training—helping people stay on track, reconnect, and thrive beyond the justice system.

Housing

Safe and stable housing is the foundation for everything else. These initiatives offer transitional and supportive housing for individuals navigating pretrial release or reentry, ensuring people have a place to live while rebuilding their lives.

Community Building

Stronger neighborhoods lead to safer cities. Through resident leadership, neighborhood-based problem solving, and youth engagement, these programs invest directly in communities to drive change from the ground up.

Arts & Culture

Arts and culture help people heal, connect, and take pride in their neighborhoods. Through creative projects, public space activation, and community events, these efforts build stronger bonds and support mental and emotional well-being.

Crime & Safety

These programs focus on collecting data and analyzing trends within the criminal justice system to better understand the root causes of crime and safety challenges.

Using research and statistics, they help develop strategies that reduce violence, support accountability, and invest in community-based alternatives to incarceration.

Mental Health Services

Justice and health go hand in hand. These services support people with mental health needs, substance use treatment, and trauma recovery—especially those affected by violence, loss, or system involvement.

Legal Support

Legal representation and advocacy are essential for a fair system. These programs connect people to public defenders, pretrial support, and court navigation services—protecting rights and promoting equity at every stage of the process.

Policy Initiatives

MOCJ leads and supports policy efforts that drive systemic change in New York City’s criminal justice landscape.

These initiatives focus on revising laws, updating practices, and piloting new strategies that promote public safety, reduce over-incarceration, and increase access to justice.

Restorative Justice

Restorative justice programs offer meaningful alternatives to traditional court involvement by focusing on accountability, reflection, and healing.

These initiatives create space for individuals to take responsibility for harm without the long-term consequences of prosecution, while also reconnecting them to community-based supports.

Legacy Initiatives

Over the past decade, the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice (MOCJ) has launched and incubated dozens of innovative pilot programs that have shaped New York City’s approach to public safety and justice reform. While some initiatives have concluded, many have evolved beyond their original scope—adopted into citywide policy, transferred to partner agencies for long-term operation, or sunset after achieving their goals.

These legacy efforts demonstrate MOCJ’s role as a strategic incubator for ideas that drive sustainable systems change. By testing new models and building cross-agency partnerships, these programs helped lay the foundation for lasting reforms in areas such as diversion, reentry, housing stability, and community safety.

By Intercept

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.

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.