The Academy for Justice-Informed Practice (the Academy) is a workforce training initiative targeting a wide array of professionals working with individuals with behavioral health needs and criminal justice involvement in New York City. We partner with experts from across disciplines to develop and deliver quality training programs that advance leading-edge information, teach best practices and foster collaborative working relationships among our training participants. All of our programs are free of charge. We believe that an educated workforce is critical to reducing recidivism, enhancing public safety and fostering recovery among justice-involved people with behavioral health needs.
Implemented in April 2014, our certificate program is comprised of the Academy's core curriculum. These eight classes teach foundational skills and are taught by seasoned professionals who are currently working at the top of their respective fields. To complete the certificate program, participants must complete all eight modules within a year of beginning the program. Some of these classes can be completed online. Browse through our Frequently Asked Questions for additional information.
The Academy offers a wide range of electives and panels to enhance, support and expand upon the learning objectives of the core curriculum. Like all of our classes, these offerings advance best practices, highlight current thinking in the field and help attendees develop skills to meet the needs of their justice-involved clients. We offer most of our electives several times a year. Each year, we add new electives to our roster. Join our mailing list to stay connected!
*Most of the our trainings offer
NYS Social Work CE and CASAC renewal credit hours.
Specialized Training Programs
Our specialized trainings target specific professional groups.
NYPD Crisis Intervention Training
According to the New York City Police Department (NYPD), over 175,000 calls involving people in emotional or mental health crisis are made to 911 every year. It critical therefore, that police officers are trained to safely and effectively handle these situations. Toward this end, the NYPD implemented Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) in 2015. CIT for law enforcement professionals has been implemented in hundreds of jurisdictions across the country and has proven to be highly effective in helping police officers safely and sensitively manage situations involving persons in emotional and mental health distress.
The CUCS Academy, in collaboration with the NYPD, delivers CIT to nearly 4000 officers across the department each year. This four-day training, conducted weekly in small classroom settings with 30 officers at a time, promotes empathy and sensitizes trainees to the needs of people in mental health crisis who come to the attention of the police. The training aims to help participants deescalate crisis using communication strategies and empathic listening; reduce the use of force; re-direct individuals to treatment instead of jail when appropriate; and to protect the safety of officers, persons in crisis and the public at large. To learn more about the NYPD CIT initiative, click here.
The Academy conducts legal trainings each year, covering critical areas of practice for legal professionals working with individuals with mental illness in New York City criminal proceedings. Trainings are developed with the assistance of our Executive Legal Committee, which is comprised of NYC prosecutors, defense lawyers, civil lawyers, court attorneys and clinicians--all of whom have decades of expertise working with justice-involved individuals with mental illness in New York City's legal and criminal justice systems. Trainings are equally relevant to prosecutors and defense lawyers, and confer CLE credit hours. All trainings are free of charge. To learn more about the content of our legal trainings contact us at [email protected] or call our info line at 212-801-3303.
Other Specialized Training
The Academy offers specialized training to professional groups on an as-needed basis and when possible. In recent years we developed specialized training for criminal court and supreme court judges across the five boroughs as well as professionals from Federal Probation. Contact us at [email protected] if you would like discuss your specialized training needs.
