NYC Taps Bank Forfeiture Funds for Criminal Justice Program

New York City is adding to its ecosystem of programs aimed at keeping people out of jail with a new initiative in Manhattan courts.

The program, called Court Navigators, will connect people arrested and released in Manhattan who may be suffering from mental illness or substance use disorder with social workers who have had with similar life experiences. Those peers are tasked with building relationships and helping the individuals navigate the social safety net with the goal of reducing recidivism.

Funding will come from a pool of millions of dollars seized from BNP Paribas SA, HSBC Holdings Plc and Standard Chartered Bank for allegedly violating US sanctions, according to a Monday statement from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office. The DA awarded $3 million to the Fortune Society to run the program for three years. The nonprofit will staff the Manhattan criminal courthouse and look to connect with people who are released on a voluntary basis, seven days a week.

“The best way to address the root drivers of crime and violence is to connect people with the services they need to lead healthy and stable lives, including housing, health care and job opportunities,” Bragg said in the statement. The announcement of the new program comes four months after the district attorney’s office announced a $6 million program to connect homeless people in Manhattan with similar supports.

In 2022, roughly 33,000 people were arrested in Manhattan, 70% of whom were released without conditions or saw their case dismissed. The Court Navigators program will look to target people in that population who suffer from mental illness, substance use disorder or both. Trials have shown early signs of success. A pilot in East Harlem run by Hunter College found that 71% of participants were connected with social services and reported a more positive outlook about their futures, according to the request for proposal.

Court Navigators marks the latest entry in New York City’s attempts to reduce its reliance on jail and bail as crime fighting tools. The city recently set aside $36 million to bolster its supervised release program, which pairs people accused of crimes with social workers who look to connect them with services and jobs, and keep them stable while their cases snake through the legal system. Supervised release represented 17% of the 33,000 people arrested in Manhattan last year.

The Fortune Society is a participant in that effort as well, running the city’s supervised release initiative in the Bronx.

The new award “marks a pivotal moment in our ongoing mission to support reentry, working further upstream in the criminal legal system,” said Stanley Richards, deputy chief executive officer of the Fortune Society.