Avenues for Justice, Inc.

In a nation that imprisons over a quarter of a million teens each year, Avenues for Justice (AFJ) has provided Second Chances to thousands of New York City’s youth and young adults, preventing them from being processed through the criminal justice system and from being stigmatized with a criminal record for the rest of their lives.

Incorporated in 1979, AFJ was one of the first alternatives to incarceration programs in the country for youth, helping facilitate the creation of Manhattan’s Youth Part, where youth are tried separately from adults—a model now used nationwide.

We currently serve close to court-involved and at-risk Participants, ages 13–24, at our centers in Harlem, the Lower East Side, and through a hybrid online and in-person platform. We alleviate an overburdened court system by replacing incarceration with court advocacy and our HIRE UP wraparound services for employment and job training, education and academics, and mental health wellness. With headquarters based inside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse, AFJ’s staff can quickly assess young people’s needs as they enter for their court dates, appear with them before the judge and advocate to the courts that they receive a second chance