Can a charge lead to change? Manhattan D.A.-funded court-based navigators think so

Court-based peer navigator supervisor Luis Laureano meets people where they are at. In a literal sense, he mostly approaches them on the first floor of the New York County criminal court after their arraignments. But figuratively, he draws from a “sixth sense” when helping them help themselves.

“Once upon a time, I was in trouble myself,” said Laureano. “It’s an easy step for me to just approach an individual and let him know the services that’s available for him. I don’t worry about the ins and outs of his case. That don’t concern me — what concerns me is the missing piece of the puzzle. Whether he’s homeless, I can provide housing, [or] if he’s hungry, I can provide pantry services. If it’s a Code Blue and I feel that he’s not dressed for the weather, I can always approach him on that level.

“I just want to make sure that everyone that comes out of arraignments is in a comfortable space, mentally as well as physically…because if you [are] not fully in tune with yourself going back into society, that’s when your mind wanders that you decide to want to break the law again.”

The Court-based Navigators are funded by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and operated by reentry nonprofit Fortune Society to tackle the mental health crisis in the city’s criminal legal justice system. The initiative largely enlists those with lived experience, deploying them to approach individuals released following an arraignment — when a judge reads them their charges following an arrest.

Rikers Island might house most of the city’s jails, but also serves as the city’s largest mental health provider. The goal is to reach people at arraignment where they are more open to change compared to incarceration or re-arrest.

For example, when navigators approached a man in his early 70s after his arraignment, they learned his family faced food insecurity and connected him to pantry services. Another client initially sought a navigator for housing and addiction services, intending to turn his life around; he was placed in a bed and now eyes educational and vocational training.

Fortune Society CEO Stanley Richards, who is formerly incarcerated himself, called lived experience the “heart of this program’s success.”

“Our navigators aren’t just professionals; they are peers, mentors, and proof that change is possible,” said Richards over email. “Their experience allows them to connect in ways that traditional service providers often cannot. That trust is what makes this program so powerful. Hiring people with lived experience is not just an act of inclusion — it is a strategic and effective way to reach those who need support the most.”

Pretrial diversion programs traditionally dangle a conditional carrot to defendants, often incentivizing treatment or intervention participation with reduced penalties or deferred adjudication. But no strings are attached with court navigators. They do not involve themselves directly with the criminal charges, although they can connect clients with legal assistance.

“Individuals are released from arraignment, and on a completely voluntary basis, engage with individuals who have lived experience with criminal legal system, homelessness [and] substance use recovery,” said Fortune Society’s chief program officer Randi Rothschild. “We actually didn’t know if we were going to get so many participants who could, in theory, walk out of arraignments and just leave — either their cases have been dismissed [or] they’ve been released on their recognizance.

“But because of the rapid engagement that our court based navigators have been able to utilize, the amount of participants that we’ve seen has been tremendous.”

Rothschild says the navigators reached 814 different people since they kicked off last August, connecting 50 of them to housing. According to the Manhattan D.A., 381 clients are actively enrolled in services. Navigator Marquis Holley says the program reaches 15-20 people, sometimes more on a busy day.

Laureano himself was coming off a successful placement just moments before speaking with the Amsterdam News. He kept the details confidential, but his excitement over the breakthrough was evident.

“The client just got released [on his own recognizance and] I engaged with him,” said Laureano. “I explained the wraparound services in which we provide. I also explained that it’s voluntary. He actually expressed that he was in need of services. So I explained to him the process…he said he was hungry. So we went upstairs. I fed him, sat down, went through the intake process which is, the demographics, a few questions of his past and present and what he wants to do. [I] shot several referrals, and he’s about to get placed in a bed because he’s homeless at the time.”

The navigators operate out of an office on the courtroom’s second floor. Their digs house a fridge stocked with Uncrustables sandwiches and big red crates filled with hygiene kits. Outside, a black SUV parked on the southside street allows navigators to drop off clients at housing and treatment services. Rothschild says 360 meals, 68 hygiene kits, and 32 escorts have been provided to clients since the navigators started.

Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg announced funding for two such programs at the end of 2022, his first year as New York county’s top prosecutor. The money comes from cash seized from white collar crime. Neighborhood Navigators received $6 million through nonprofit The Bridge, which deploys similar outreach on the streets. Another $3 million funds the Court-based Navigators.

“Advancing public safety and supporting New Yorkers goes hand in hand,” said Bragg in a statement. “By connecting individuals to housing, job opportunities, treatment, and more as soon as they step out of arraignments, our Court Navigators are addressing the underlying drivers of crime and helping to reduce recidivism. We’ve seen how transformative this program has been in such a short amount of time and, although there is still more work to do, I am pleased with the progress we are making together with our partners at the Fortune Society.”

Establishing navigator programs coincides with other city efforts addressing the intersection between mental health and the justice system. But not all of them are as intent on emphasizing the clients’ consent. Mayoral directives in 2022 to proactively employ Kendra’s Law, a New York State law allowing involuntary hospitalization and court-ordered treatment for serious mental illness, drew criticism from organizations like Human Rights Watch.

Of course, narratives commonly suggest many unhoused individuals willingly choose not to seek services as the law mandates a right-to-shelter in New York City. But those who solicit help through Court-based Navigators do so on their own accord.

“The idea that unhoused individuals routinely refuse services ignores the reality that many have had negative or ineffective interactions with systems that were supposed to help them,” said Richards. “What we see every day in court is that when a trusted peer — someone who has been through similar struggles — engages them, listens, and offers immediate assistance, they respond. The fact that so many people are voluntarily enrolling in housing and treatment programs is proof that the right approach, with the right messengers, can make a real difference.”