District Attorney Vance established the Criminal Justice Investment Initiative (CJII) to invest millions of dollars seized in our prosecutions against major banks in large-scale efforts to strengthen communities, prevent crime and accelerate reform in the justice system.

Working with the CUNY Institute for State and Local Governance – CJII’s technical assistance provider – District Attorney Vance has made a series of investments in four main areas:

Youth, Family, and Communities

CJII prevents crime by supporting young people, families, and communities. Recognizing that crime and opportunity are inextricably linked, our investments are building skills and supports among young people to enhance positive development and reduce the likelihood of involvement in the justice system. These investments include:

• $45.9 million to create five Youth Opportunity Hubs
• $12 million to expand youth and family development programs
• $5.3 million to support youth aging out of foster care
• $1.6 million to create the East Harlem Community Navigators Program
• $8 million to create the Center for Trauma Innovation in East Harlem

Victims of Crime

CJII empowers victims of crime from historically underserved communities to access the services they need. We invest in existing programs and new approaches to serve victim communities who face significant barriers to accessing services, including: people of color, immigrants and non-native English speakers; LGBTQ individuals; individuals with disabilities; and/or individuals who are D/deaf or hard of hearing. These investments include:

• $38 million to help end the national rape kit backlog
• $11.8 million to support historically underserved victims of crime
• $1.1 million to create the Child Trauma Treatment Program
• $2 million to fund a child and youth sex trafficking intervention program, “the Phoenix Project” 

Diversion and Reentry

CJII creates alternatives to incarceration and helps formerly incarcerated New Yorkers reenter their communities in order to reduce recidivism and improve public safety. We work with community-based providers and city and state partners to make catalytic investments in criminal justice reform, including:

• $7.1 million to fund Project Reset — an early diversion program that gives non-violent New Yorkers arrested for the first time a chance to be held accountable in a community setting and avoid a criminal record.
• $7.1 million to support social enterprises to employ at-risk youth and formerly incarcerated New Yorkers
• $14 million (of $17 million total) to fund the citywide Supervised Release program and lay the groundwork to close Rikers Island
• $7.3 million to completely fund New York’s first statewide College-in-Prison program
• $40 million to support the Mayor’s Task Force on Behavioral Health and Criminal Justice
• $7.2 million to fund expansions of education, housing, and employment opportunities for reentering New Yorkers, including $3 for the NYC Health Justice Network, the largest-known investment in primary care for reentering individuals.
• $3 million to create an innovative, West Harlem-based reentry and community healing program

21^st-Century Crime-Fighting

CJII invests in forward-looking efforts that improve technology and the analytic capacity of law enforcement agencies to prevent crime and increase public safety. We are proud to invest:

• $101 million to upgrade security in New York City Housing Authority developments, including cameras, lighting and keyless access
• $90 million to equip the NYPD with tablets, handheld devices, and mobile databases for every police officer and patrol car
• $25 million to form the Global Cyber Alliance, a non-profit, multi-sector coalition of organizations focused on reducing cyber vulnerability worldwide
• $500,000 to equip agencies to video record criminal interrogations, enhancing integrity, fairness, and effectiveness in the justice system