Avenues for Justice
100 Centre Street, Room 1541
New York, NY 10013
info@avenuesforjustice.org
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At Avenues for Justice (AFJ), we serve Court-Involved and Preventive Participants, between the ages of 13-24. Our Court-Involved population includes three sub-groups of Participants: a) AFJ's signature, long-term Court Advocacy program (“Court Advocacy"), b) a short-term diversion program for younger Participants whose cases are in the NYC Family Court ("Family Court Diversion"), and c) a program for re-entry Participants who have been recently released from a detention center ("Re-entry").
This week, we want to highlight one of our Re-Entry Participants, Michael, who over the past 10 months, has demonstrated the transformational change that a young person can achieve when provided with a continuum of care.
In September 2024, while he was at school, police officers arrested him for a warrant in front of his peers. He was indicted on a felony charge. After spending three months in pre-trial detention, Michael was offered the opportunity to be released to an ATI program under strict supervision. When he started his court mandate with AFJ, he was required to wear an ankle monitor which placed restrictions on his daily activities.
AFJ Court Advocate, Messiah, and AFJ’s Job Developer, Shantel, met with Michael to co-create an Individualized Action Plan (IAP) and to help him understand the commitment that would be required of him. Most of the HIRE Up programming that would benefit Michael needed approval from the District Attorney’s and Sheriff’s offices due to his ankle monitor. Shantel and Messiah coordinated a rigid schedule for Michael so that he wouldn't violate the conditions of his mandate and he hit the ground running immediately. Within three months, he was granted permission by the courts to remove his ankle monitor.
In the past 10 months, while at AFJ, Michael has an increasingly long list of accomplishments which include:
Michael’s number one goal and priority over the last year has been to set himself up for financial and career success. He accomplished this by applying for various AFJ internship cohorts and completing AFJ’s HIRE Up certification training programs. Shantel delights in the fact that Michael is one of the most motivated Participants she has worked with at AFJ.
In Fall 2025, Michael successfully juggled two jobs while participating in AFJ workshops, both in-person and remotely. Having an intense schedule taught Michael the importance of time management and accountability. Before coming to AFJ, Michael couldn’t fathom maintaining one job, let alone two for multiple months on end. Michael’s favorite AFJ workshop is our Legal Rights & Responsibilities class taught by Manager of Court Advocacy and Outreach, Brian, because it has taught him invaluable skills that he wishes all his peers had the opportunity to learn, especially those who were formerly incarcerated.
When asked what “A Just Future” looks like to him, Michael shared how he wishes law enforcement weren’t as tough on young, Black and Brown men like himself. When you live in communities where you can be stopped on the street at any time without just cause, Michael commented how, “you start to build anger and resentment that can lead towards bad decisions.”
Michael continues to go to court with his Court Advocate, Messiah, to work on a positive resolution for his court matter. Michael is motivated by his younger sister, whose birth he missed while he was incarcerated. He wants to maintain his freedom so he can be a role model for her.
Michael is one of many AFJ Participants who have successfully demonstrated the importance of why incarceration should be the alternative, and not the norm. The AFJ team, along with his peers, are excited to see him continue to chase his career dreams!
