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Who We Are

Over 250 people, operating out of every borough courthouse and 5 offices. CJA is made of court staff, social workers, researchers, helpline specialists, policy planners and many more. All of them work together to forward a central mission: reducing unnecessary pretrial detention in New York City, and assisting those who have been released.

Our Values

  • Commitment

    CJA staff work 24/7 in each of New York City’s main courthouses and are deeply involved in the arraignment process. CJA staff members are present and engaged with each other, the courts, stakeholders, and the public. Our people are creative problem solvers who demonstrate commitment by taking initiative to evaluate different methods and strategies for alternatives to detention.

  • Fairness

    We protect the privacy of court-involved people and their families, giving them critical information and never stifling their voices. A guiding principle is the presumption of innocence for those who are detained. We are honest, ethical, and compassionate, treating everyone with dignity and respect.

  • Innovation

    Curiosity is our driving force to lead the way in pretrial services, programs, and research. We promote an environment of creativity and encourage new ideas for advancing criminal justice reform across all of our teams.

Our History

For more than 50 years, CJA has led the way in creating data-backed programs and services that reduce unnecessary pretrial detention. Starting with our Release Assessment, and continuing through the initial pilot of Supervised Released, Outreach, and much more, our unique approach to piloting, evaluating, and iterating on our services has driven tremendous progress made towards a fairer criminal legal system in New York City.

Read More

50 Years of CJA

Our Team

Our Team

CJA is comprised of over 250 individuals working out of a dozen locations around the city.

Work for Us

Work for Us

Our mission is to create a better system of pretrial justice, and we need great people to help us do it. If you're committed to helping communities and improving the justice system, we want you on our team.