.png)
In a nation that imprisons over a quarter of a million teens each year, Avenues for Justice (AFJ) has provided Second Chances to thousands of New York City’s youth and young adults, preventing them from being processed through the criminal justice system and being stigmatized with a criminal record the rest of their lives. AFJ's model maintains low rates—94% of Participants steer clear of reconviction within 3 years of enrollment in our program and it only costs $6,300 to put one Participant through the program for a full year.
Incorporated in 1979, Avenues for Justice was one of the first alternatives to incarceration programs in the country for youth, helping facilitate the creation of Manhattan’s Youth Part, where youth are tried separately from adults—a model now used nationwide. They currently serve close to 400 African American and Hispanic court-involved and at-risk Participants ages 13–24, at centers in Harlem, the Lower East Side, and through a hybrid online and in-person platform. They alleviate an overburdened court system by replacing incarceration with court advocacy and HIRE UP wraparound services for employment and job training, education and academics, and mental health wellness.
