A Youth Development Approach
Court Services
Services and Activities for Participants

COURT SERVICES

The Court Employment Project (CEP) maintains a presence in New York City's Supreme and Family Court which enables us to screen cases against our eligibility requirements and advocate for the release of participants our program can best serve. Our court services include: screening and interviewing defendants; reporting back to the court - through written reports and in-court appearances - on a regular basis; and working with our participants to ensure that they understand their obligations to the court.

Initial Appearances: Screening and Eligibility
CEP court representatives screen cases to identify defendants who meet CEP's eligibility requirements, and then interview defendants to determine whether they would thrive in CEP's structured programming. The court representative stands before the judge with the defendant, his or her lawyer, and the prosecutor and explains how CEP would meet the needs of the defendant and the concomitant needs of public safety. If the judge agrees with our representative's recommendations, CEP staff make a commitment to keep the judge apprised of all developments concerning the case, both positive and negative.

Reporting Back to the Judge
To ensure that we fulfill our commitment to the court, our court reporting unit - a team of dedicated and experienced writers - provides judges with detailed written reports on participants' activities at regular intervals, and any time the participant is scheduled to appear before the court.

Ensuring Participants Understand their Obligations to the Court
We work closely with our participants to ensure that they understand and comply with their obligations to the Court. During individual counseling sessions, participants are encouraged to identify issues that affect their ability to fulfill their court obligations, and discuss how they will address those issues at CEP. We also operate criminal justice classes that further instill a sense of responsibility, and a deeper understanding of their obligations to the court.