About the New York City Board of Correction
The New York City Board of Correction (“BOC”) is a nine-person, non-judicial oversight board, which regulates, monitors, and inspects the correctional facilities of the City. Established in 1957, BOC is one of the earliest independent oversight boards of custodial and detention settings in the United States. The Mayor, City Council and presiding justices of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court for the First and Second Judicial Departments (in joint nomination with the Mayor) appoint its members. The City Charter mandates the Board’s five functions:

- Establish and ensure compliance with minimum standards for the care, custody, correction, treatment, supervision, and discipline of all persons held or confined under the jurisdiction of the Department of Correction (“DOC”);
- Investigate serious incidents;
- Review grievances from people in custody and staff;
- Evaluate the performance of DOC; and
- Make recommendations on areas of key correctional planning.

The Board established the Minimum Standards on conditions of confinement in 1979, mental health care in 1985, and health care in 1991. In 2007, BOC finished a comprehensive review of the Minimum Standards and adopted a series of amendments. Since 2014, the Board has engaged in rulemaking five times, including rules related to the prevention of sexual violence, reporting on serious injuries, and the elimination of punitive segregation or solitary confinement.

With offices in lower Manhattan and Rikers Island, BOC works regularly with DOC and Health + Hospitals Correctional Health Services, and often with other partners, on a wide range of criminal justice issues germane to its oversight responsibilities. BOC is a key municipal partner in the movement for safer, smaller, fairer, more humane jails, which minimize negative consequences, such as violence to persons in custody and staff. The Board brings to this work a strong emphasis on public reporting.

With new staff leadership, funding, and Board members, along with increased public attention and significant jail reform efforts underway, BOC is in a period of growth and change.



JOB DESCRIPTION

The Board seeks a Research & Compliance Associate with a passion for using evidence-based approaches and data-driven decision-making to advance justice, fairness, and excellence in corrections. This is an opportunity to join an emerging research & compliance unit within a nationally unique institution with extensive and broad powers of access and oversight. The Board’s research & compliance team will work in collaboration with the monitoring team to measure and monitor DOC’s compliance with the Minimum Standards. The team also will conduct primary and secondary research, using its unique access to the jails and DOC data.

The Board’s research & compliance team will play a critical role in encouraging compliance with existing regulations, catalyze and inform new regulations, and support other innovations within the jails and the criminal justice system.

The Research & Compliance Associate will be based out of the lower Manhattan office but frequently will be assigned to perform research- and compliance-related duties at Rikers Island and in other DOC facilities.

The Research & Compliance Associate will report to the Board’s Assistant Executive Director of Research.

Responsibilities include:
- supporting the Board’s research agenda and research and compliance team
- working collaboratively with BOC’s monitoring staff, who work in the jails, on a range of research and evaluation projects
- researching national trends and best practices in corrections
- assisting in the production of public reports
- assisting with other tasks or assignments, including:
- developing quantitative and qualitative data collection instruments
- conducting interviews and focus groups
- performing data management, including data entry, data cleaning, and data analysis
- creating data dashboards and other data visualization tools


TO APPLY:
For City employees: Go to Employee Self-Service (ESS) at www.nyc.gov/ess and search for Job ID# 642647

For all other applicants: Go to https://cityjobs.nyc.gov/ and search for Job ID# 642647

Please submit the following: (1) resume, (2) cover letter, and (3) writing sample. Please submit the cover letter and writing sample as one document. Applications will not be considered unless we receive all three items. Candidates who subsequently are interviewed will be asked for references. Submission of an application does not guarantee an interview. Only candidates under consideration will be contacted.

The Board of Correction is committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse and culturally responsive workforce. We strongly encourage people of color, people with disabilities, veterans, women, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender and gender non-conforming persons to apply. All applicants will be considered without regard to actual or perceived race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, marital or parental status, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, age, prior record of arrest, or any other basis prohibited by law.

Hours/Shift: Full-time, at least 35 hrs/wk

Work Locations:
2 Lafayette Street, with periodic work at
Rikers Island and other DOC facilities

1. For Assignment Level I (only physical, biological and environmental sciences and public health) A master's degree from an accredited college or university with a specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological or environmental science or in public health.
To be appointed to Assignment Level II and above, candidates must have:
1. A doctorate degree from an accredited college or university with specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological, environmental or social science and one year of full-time experience in a responsible supervisory, administrative or research capacity in the appropriate field of specialization; or
2. A master's degree from an accredited college or university with specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological, environmental or social science and three years of responsible full-time research experience in the appropriate field of specialization; or
3. Education and/or experience which is equivalent to "1" or "2" above. However, all candidates must have at least a master's degree in an appropriate field of specialization and at least two years of experience described in "2" above. Two years as a City Research Scientist Level I can be substituted for the experience required in "1" and "2" above.

NOTE:
Probationary Period
Appointments to this position are subject to a minimum probationary period of one year.

Experience/Qualities/Skills Strongly Preferred: - Experience establishing data science workflows, analyses, and visualizations. Including, but not limited to: o Establishing ETL processes to maintain large datasets and optimize analyses o Maintaining and optimizing SQL databases o Conducting analyses in R o Developing dashboards and other visualizations using Tableau - Knowledge of and interest in the criminal justice system - Experience writing research reports and presenting findings so that they would be accessible to diverse stakeholders - Strong organizational skills and ability to handle multiple priorities and achieve deadlines - Excellent interpersonal, communication, and writing skills - Exceptional problem-solving skills and ability to make difficult decisions - At least three years of government, nonprofit, or comparable experience

New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.