Civic Justice Corps
Click here to view a printable document about the Civic Justice Corps.
This groundbreaking model, which has succeeded in multiple sites nationwide, proves that service is an effective strategy for re-engaging court-involved, formerly incarcerated, and disconnected young people.
In the Civic Justice Corps (CJC), formerly incarcerated and court-involved youth reconnect with their community and find pathways to success through service. Service is the center of a model that includes formal working partnerships with justice agencies, employers, and other community agencies; individual case management and intensive services; lifeskills development, education, and employment preparation—and meaningful service projects.
Fourteen sites, from California to Wisconsin to Florida, have incorporated CJC principals into their programs, reaching young people who accepted the challenge to serve—and the opportunity to turn their lives around. CJC Corpsmembers improve their communities by: planting trees in bare urban landscapes, weatherizing the homes of their low-income neighbors, replacing sidewalks on dilapidated streets, and installing green roofs on city government buildings. CJC’s remarkable effectiveness is a tribute to these youth and the people who work with them.
CJC Outcomes (14 original sites)
559 enrolled
436 formerly/currently incarcerated
47.1% received GED/high school diploma
79.0% placement in job/education
72.2% retention in job/education placements
10.2% recidivism (prevailing rate: 50 - 70%)
Civic Justice Corps has been developed and supported in a partnership among The Corporation for National and Community Service, The U.S. Department of Labor, the Open Society Institute, the JEHT Foundation, the Cascade Center for Community Governance, and The Corps Network.
Keep informed about Corporation announcements that may affect your program by visiting our AmeriCorps Bulletin page!
In an article describing excellent “gap year” options for students between high school and college, reporter Rebecca Kern profiled Conservation Corps as a way for young people to continue learning, develop job skills and make a difference. The Corps Network's President & CEO Sally Prouty is quoted
The Clean Energy Service Corps. In the past few years, America has experienced tremendous excitement about the potential of
Once a wildly undisciplined youth, William Brandt’s lack of direction was aggravated by substance abuse and a defensive, angry attitude. He got into trouble with the law.