Youth Justice Programs

Programs supported by the DCJS Office of Youth Justice represent an investment in the young people of New York State. By building capacity and creating opportunities for our emerging adults, we contribute towards a better shared future for our state.

Project RISE (Respond, Invest, Sustain, Empower) supports community-based organizations that help young people and families succeed through youth development programming, mentoring, job training, mental health supports, and opportunities for success. The innovative RISE funding model drives investments in programs and services that are tailored to meet the unique needs and priorities identified by youth, families, and other stakeholders in the participating communities.

Each Project RISE community has a steering committee that oversees the initiative. These committees use a healing and equity lens to: 

• foster ongoing collaboration
• identify programs and services for funding
• build capacity to implement and sustain programming to address the underlying factors contributing to violence
• improve responses to violence through partnerships 

Up to four lead organizations in each community receive the funding, retaining a portion for their programs and distributing the balance to support the work of other organizations, many of which have never received state funding. This allows RISE funding to build the capacity of successful grassroots programs to expand their reach.

The Transformative Youth Justice Hubs serve as cross-sector collaborations led by a fiscal/coordinating partner. Their primary goals include: 

• Utilizing community-based wisdom to transform youth-serving systems
• Connecting youth, families, communities, and stakeholders with resources 
• Developing policies and strategies that support youth well-being

This two-day conference convenes youth service providers and practitioners, credible messengers, mentors, and peer advocates; law enforcement, probation, education, child welfare and court professionals; and youth and families. The conference explores national research and best practices, innovative programs, and leading practices across the state. 

Conference goals: 

• Discover ways to collectively amplify the voices of youth and families,which is critical to the advancement of programs and services for justice-involved youth
• Broaden access to prevention opportunities that address health, education and social well-being for all youth

Mini grants are awarded to grassroots and community-based organizations for direct service programming that aligns with one or more of the priority areas of the JJAG Strategic Plan.