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Job Description

ABOUT THE NEW YORK CITY BOARD OF CORRECTION

The New York City Board of Correction (BOC) is a nine-person, non-judicial oversight board, which regulates, monitors, and inspects the correctional facilities of the City. The Mayor, City Council and presiding justices of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court for the First and Second Judicial Departments (in joint nomination with the Mayor) appoint its members. The Board’s original appointees began in 1957, making it one of the earliest independent oversight boards of detention settings in the United States. In 1977, the Board’s role was expanded, and it became more independent. The City Charter mandates the Board’s five functions:

- Establish and ensure compliance with minimum standards “for the care, custody, correction, treatment, supervision, and discipline of all persons held or confined under the jurisdiction of the Department of Correction”

- Investigate serious incidents

- Review grievances from people in custody and staff

- Evaluate the performance of the Department of Correction

- Make recommendations on areas of key correctional planning.

The Board established the Minimum Standards on conditions in 1979, on mental health care in 1985, and on health care in 1991. In 2007, the Board finished a comprehensive review of the Minimum Standards and adopted a series of amendments. Since 2014, the Board has entered rulemaking five times including rules related to the prevention of sexual violence, reporting on serious injuries and, most recently, the elimination of punitive segregation.

With offices in lower Manhattan and Rikers Island, BOC works regularly with DOC and Health + Hospitals, and often with other partners, on a wide range of criminal justice issues germane to its oversight responsibilities. BOC is a key municipal partner in the movement for safer, smaller, fairer, more humane jails, which minimize negative consequences, such as violence to persons in custody and staff. The Board brings to this work a strong emphasis on public reporting.

With increased public attention and jail reform efforts underway, BOC is in a period of growth and change.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Reporting to the Assistant Executive Director of Monitoring, the Director of Violence Prevention will oversee and lead the development and operations of the Board’s Violence Prevention oversight team as it relates to the extent of violence in jails and efforts to ensure safety. The Director will lead a team of Correctional Standards Review Specialists to ensure the Department of Correction (DOC) and Correctional Health Services (CHS) are in compliance with the Board’s Minimum Standards.

Responsibilities of the Director include but are not limited to the following:

- Train, directly supervise, and provide feedback to Correctional Standards Review Specialists (CSRS) in the following tasks:

o Monitoring, assessing, documenting and reporting on institutional operations, conditions of confinement, and DOC’s and CHS’s compliance/noncompliance with Minimum Standards as they relate to Violence Prevention, including restrictive housing, the Prison Rape Elimination Act, lock-ins, separation status units and serious injury.

o Conducting targeted on-site investigations.

o Audits, assessments, and other reports, including gathering qualitative and quantitative data and other evidence for such reports.

o Conducting surveys of housing areas including restrictive housing units related to conditions, PREA, and lock-ins.

- Oversee quantitative and qualitative analyses of the Minimum Standards, DOC and CHS data, and a wide range of issues related violence prevention to NYC jails.

- Assign, triage, guide, review and close complaints and assist in improving BOC’s overall complaint process as it relates to the areas of focus under the violence prevention safety-related Minimum Standards for people in custody.

- On a rotating basis, be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, as a primary contact person for DOC notification of unusual incidents and BOC response.

- Develop, review, and complete written responses to Board member inquiries.

- Assign staff to accompany Board members and BOC staff on facility tours and review tour reports.

- Meet regularly with DOC and CHS leadership to discuss compliance and other issues of concern to the Board related to violence prevention.

- Draft memos to the Board, BOC’s Executive Director (or designee), and DOC and CHS leadership on areas of concern and intervention related to violence prevention identified by BOC staff.

- Collaborate with all BOC teams on reports, projects, and other matters.

- Handle special assignments assigned by the Deputy Executive Director of Oversight and Evaluation, Executive staff, or Board members.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

1. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college, and four years of full-time experience in corrections, social work, psychology, law, public administration, law enforcement, or a related field providing direct services to an inmate or detention population within a correctional or related facility, at least one (1) year of which must have been in a responsible supervisory, administrative or consultative capacity; or

2. A high school diploma or evidence of having passed a high school equivalency examination and six (6) years of full-time experience as described above; or

3. Education and/or experience equivalent to "1" or "2" above. Service as an inmate in correctional or related facility may be substituted for a portion of the required experience up to a maximum of two years on a year for year basis. A graduate degree from an accredited college or university with a major in social work, psychology, law, criminal justice or public administration which includes a field placement performing duties as described above, may be substituted for up to one year of full-time experience as described in "1" above. However, all candidates must have at least two years of full-time experience as described in "1" above, at least one year of which must have been in a supervisory, administrative or consultative capacity.

EXPERIENCE/SKILLS STRONGLY PREFERRED

- Graduate degree in a related field.

- Excellent oral and written communication skills with the ability to clearly communicate research findings to multiple audiences

- Strong qualitative policy analysis of Department of Correction directives

- Bilingual Spanish

- Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school

- Strong interpersonal, collaboration, managerial, and leadership skills, and the flexibility necessary for working in a fast-paced and complex environment

- Ability to work entrepreneurially, independently and in close cooperation with the Executive Director and management team.

- Successful management experience in diverse environments and teams

- Exceptional problem-solving skills and ability to make tough decisions

- Working knowledge of New York City jails and corrections

- Commitment to the mission of the NYC Board of Correction.

- Experience developing and implementing training curricula.

- Experience conducting and supervising investigations, audits, and/or compliance studies

- Demonstrated computer skills, including proficiency in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

- Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information in a professional manner with discretion and integrity.

- Previous experience of incarceration in a correctional or related facility may be substituted for a portion of the full-time paid experience up to a maximum of two years on a year-for-year basis.

WORK LOCATION

Rikers Island Office and 2 Lafayette, New York, NY 10007 (periodically)

HOURS/SHIFT

35 hrs/wk

TO APPLY

For City employees: Go to Employee Self-Service (ESS)-www.nyc.gov/ess and search for Job ID # 722578

For all other applicants: Go to www.nyc.gov/careers and search for Job ID # 722578

Please submit a resume and cover letter. Candidates who are subsequently called for an in-person interview will be required to complete a brief writing and analysis assignment.

Please indicate in your cover letter where you learned of this career opportunity.

Appointments are subject to Office of Management and Budget approval.

The New York City Administrative Code requires an employee in this title to establish city residence within 90 days of entering City service and to remain in compliance with the city residence requirement as a condition of employment.

The City of New York and the Board of Correction is an equal opportunity employer and committed to diversity. Submission of an application does not guarantee an interview. Only candidates under consideration will be contacted.

DIRECTOR OF CORRECTIONAL STAND - 52620

Qualifications

Qualification Requirements

1. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college, and four years of full-time experience in corrections, social work, psychology, law, public administration, law enforcement, or a related field providing direct services to an inmate or detention population within a correctional or related facility, at least one (1) year of which must have been in a responsible supervisory, administrative or consultative capacity; or

2. A high school diploma or evidence of having passed a high school equivalency examination and six (6) years of full-time experience as described above; or

3. Education and/or experience equivalent to "1" or "2" above. Service as an inmate in correctional or related facility may be substituted for a portion of the required experience up to a maximum of two years on a year for year basis. A graduate degree from an accredited college or university with a major in social work, psychology, law, criminal justice or public administration which includes a field placement performing duties as described above, may be substituted for up to one year of full-time experience as described in "1" above. However, all candidates must have at least two years of full-time experience as described in "1" above, at least one year of which must have been in a supervisory, administrative or consultative capacity.

Additional Information

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.

Salary Min: $110,000.00

Salary Max: $129,205.00