Albany Works initiative will address southwest Georgia recidivism

ALBANY — The city of Albany, in partnership with the Albany Municipal Court, has announced the launch of the Albany Works Community Court Initiative.

The purpose of AW is to provide a problem-solving role in the community by using sentencing strategies to address recidivism. These strategies will link offenders to the services they need to avoid re-offending and craft meaningful alternatives to incarceration.

The initiative is designed to provide access for individuals to assistance and services offered by local nonprofit agencies and educational entities that focus on employment, education, job readiness and medical/behavioral services.

The Municipal Court will serve as a “conduit” where people in need who appear before the bench are linked to community resources and services that will support their pathway to self-sufficiency.

Individuals must reside in the southwest Georgia region and be referred to the Albany Works Community Court Initiative through the Municipal Court to be able to participate.

Those who are offered AW assistance through the court and agree to participate in the initiative will undergo a needs assessment and receive an individualized action plan that will connect them directly to community resources and services. Accountability coaches will be utilized to support participants’ navigation through the process, and community service opportunities have been expanded to include placement within city departments and community nonprofits. Successful completion of the program could result in the expungement of a participant’s legal records.

This plan will include court mandates and Nicole Saint-Cyr, the court case manager, will track participants’ progress and compliance and serve as the liaison between the court and the community service providers.

“Justice requires that the court sees individuals rather than numbers of defendants,” Albany Municipal Court Chief Judge Willie Weaver said. “Getting to the underlying source of the behavior, then resolving the underlying issues, will allow individuals to have a shot at becoming and remaining productive citizens.”

Moving forward, the Municipal Court also will expand its operations by adding both evening hours and remote locations for subject specific court sessions. The launch of this phase will be announced at a later date.

This initiative is funded through a Bureau of Justice Assistance Planning and Implementation Grant.

To learn more about Albany Works, contact Saint-Cyr by email at [email protected] or Debra McFadden-Bryant, the project coordinator, at [email protected].

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