The Civic Justice Corps

Click here to view a printable document about the Civic Justice Corps.

This groundbreaking model, which has succeeded at 14 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 First Year Outcomes
9.2 % recidivism (exceeding the goal of 20% below the prevailing rate of 50 - 70%)
90.7% participation (exceeding the goal of 80% )
95.9% retention in job/college placements (exceeding the goal of 75%)
401 enrolled (exceeding the goal of 300 the first year)
309 formerly/currently incarcerated (exceeding the goal of one-half or 200)
High growth employers engaged

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.