The Brownsville Community Justice Center strives to identify and combat the socioeconomic challenges impacting the neighborhood, community, and residents of Brownsville, Brooklyn, in New York.
Programming at the Brownsville Community Justice Center centers on three key elements:
Alternatives to Incarceration
The Brownsville Community Justice Center, supported by an internal team of social workers and case managers, provides judges with diverse alternative sentencing options. These encompass short-term social services, community restitution, psychoeducational groups, and intensive clinical interventions.
- The Insight Initiative - offering alternatives to incarceration services for youth and young adults (ages 15-24) residing in Brownsville and East New York. By creating off-ramps from involvement with the criminal justice system and building on-ramps to education emphasizing empowerment, the program responds to specific issues impacting youth involved in high levels of violence and gang involvement. A transformative justice model encourages accountability, community contribution, and tackles root causes with custom services for each case.
- Brownsville Keepers - a cornerstone youth impact program of the Brownsville Community Justice Center Peacemaking work, utilizing peer facilitation and traditional Native American circle practices. Youth members are trained in circle keeping, community impact, peer-to-peer diversion, counseling, and youth development. Keepers circles are held for youth aged 10-18 referred by local institutions for offenses such as assault, theft, vandalism, and truancy. In addition, youth engage in weekly workshops and training around self-reflection, trauma, conflict resolution, and more.
Youth Development
The Justice Center provides a diverse array of youth development initiatives for local young individuals. By offering positive, pro-social activities, and pathways to education and employment, the Justice Center builds stronger futures and prevents crime. The youth programming is tailored to the interests of its members with opportunities to gain experience in music production, digital media, fashion, and technology.
- Project L.E.A.D - a 6-month young men’s empowerment program focused on developing leadership and exploring the meaning of masculinity in the Brownsville community. Using a social and emotional learning framework, participants will develop self-awareness and self-reflection skills needed to become leaders in their communities. Utilizing a healing justice approach, Project L.E.A.D focuses on healing complex trauma that exists within the Brownsville community and creating unity and empowerment through brotherhood.
- [B]Me - an intensive program that uses peers with lived experiences to guide justice system-involved youth towards positive change, while improving outcomes—such as academic performance and reduced school dropout rates and reducing negative outcomes, ranging from continued involvement in the juvenile justice system to substance use.
- Brownsville Redirect - an 8-week program exploring the root causes of gun-carrying behaviors that research shows is often correlated to experiences of complex trauma, such as being the victim or witness to violence. Weekly sessions rotate between peer-led circles and workshops focusing on healing, social-emotional learning, community building, and self-identity.
- Brownsville Youth Leadership Council (YLC)
Reimagining Public Space
Brownsville Community Justice Center engages local businesses and community residents in reimagining and redesigning public spaces, like with the Belmont Revitalization Project which aims to transform Belmont Avenue in Brownsville into a thriving business district that is safe, accessible, and welcoming to the community.
- Be On Belmont - the annual street festival of the Brownsville community. The corridor is completely closed down for the event to cars and prioritizes pedestrians and community activation. Music, food, and giveaways are all free to the community at this cherished event.
- Osborn Plaza - a dead end cul-de-sac adjacent to the Brownsville Community Justice Center becoming a space that reflects the community’s needs. Once identified by residents as a thoroughfare for violent activities, Osborn Plaza will become a permanent plaza designed in collaboration with residents, youth, and other community-based organizations. Founded in 2015 as a temporary plaza under the Department of Transportation's Plaza Program, this major street improvement includes crosswalks, seating, lighting, planters, and more.
- Watkins St. - a dead-end cul-de-sac on Belmont Ave that became an Open Street in collaboration with the Justice Center and the Department of Transportation. Located on the eastern side of Belmont where there are higher storefront vacancies, the area has been a common place for open drug sale and use; working with the community to create more positive activations in this area has been an important step in community recovery and healing. Now, events and activities are hosted there, like Neighborhood Commons–an opportunity for small business owners in Brownsville to sell their goods–as well as Make Music Day and B-Merry.
- Thatford St. - a cul-de-sac on the Belmont Ave corridor that was recently activated as an Open Street and a vibrant intersection with many active local businesses. Located next to a NYCHA basketball court associated with Langston Hughes Houses, this area has become a great spot for activities and community events.