Supervised Release

The Supervised Release Program seeks to reduce the number of people held in jail simply because they cannot afford bail.

The majority of people inside New York City jails are awaiting trial, often because they can’t afford bail. Our Supervised Release Programs in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Staten Island offer an alternative to jail, providing pretrial supervision and voluntary social services to people charged with misdemeanor and non-violent felony offenses. Defendants are monitored to ensure appearance at their court dates, and they receive referrals to community-based programming such as job training, drug treatment, and mental health counseling.

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Our Impact

22 fewer days in detention for supervised release participants than for matched comparison group in pilot study.
21% of supervised release participants received misdemeanor criminal convictions versus 38% in matched comparison group in pilot study.
2,500 Each year, the Center helps more than 2,500 people avoid bail—and Rikers Island.

"Having someone there to steer you in the right direction really was a big help for me. I had to not let [my case manager] down, as well as myself."

Jamaal Anderson Client of our supervised release program at Bronx Community Solutions

Publications & Digital Media

Publication
Reducing Jail and Protecting Victims: A Roundtable on Pretrial Supervised Release

by Julian Adler and Katie Crank

In January 2016, jail reduction and victim advocates discussed strategies for including the voices of survivors of crime in implementing pretrial supervised release programs. This document highlights the far-reaching and complicated discussion.

Bail Reform, Diversion, Risk Assessment
Publication
An Experiment in Bail Reform: Examining the Impact of the Brooklyn Supervised Release Program

by Josephine Hahn

This report presents findings from a study examining the impact of the Brooklyn Supervised Release Program, which engages misdemeanants who cannot afford relatively low bail amounts.

Bail Reform
Video
The Short Answer: How Does the Supervised Release Program at Brooklyn Justice Initiatives Fit Into the Court System's Bail Reform Efforts?

New York State Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence Marks responds to the question: How does the supervised release program at Brooklyn Justice Initiatives fit into the court system's bail reform efforts?

Bail Reform

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News

Supervised Release Hits Milestone as City Works Toward Closing Rikers

September 28, 2018
AM New York

A check-in on supervised release—an important, and expanding, alternative to bail and pretrial detention in New York City—as the program reaches 10,000 participants. We operate the program in three of the city's five boroughs.
Supervised Release Finalist for Innovations Award

July 27, 2018
Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice

New York City's supervised release program is a nominee for the prestigious Innovations in American Government Award from Harvard University's Ash Center. As part of the initiative overseen by the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice, we provide supervised release in three of New York City's five boroughs to thousands of defendants every year, helping them avoid incarceration simply because they cannot afford bail.