New York City court employment project evaluation study, 1976-1979

The New York City Court Employment Project (CEP) is an independent corporation under contract to New York City's Human Resources Administration. CEP was designed to divert accused offenders from routine court procedures of criminal prosecution, sentencing, and possible incarceration, and to place them into jobs, training, or vocationally-oriented counseling services. Established in 1968 and one of the oldest pretrial intervention programs in the U.S., the ultimate aim of CEP is to change the income-generating behavior of its participants to reduce their subsequent criminal activity. Eligible defendants must agree to attend mandatory counseling sessions, devise and execute an individual plan for securing training and employment, and avoid arrest and conviction during their participation. Charges are dismissed by the court if, at the end of the six-month period, CEP counselors determine that the defendant has participated successfully. The Vera Institute of Justice, a non-profit New York City policy research agency which originally organized CEP, conducted its evaluaion of CEP.