Design and Implementation - The Navigator Certificate in Human Services and Community Justice

Oct 15, 2026

The report describes the design and implementation of the Navigator Certificate in Human Services and Community Justice, a training launched in 2019 by the John Jay College Institute for Justice and Opportunity. It documents lessons from workforce and leadership development for people with lived experience in New York City’s criminal legal system, detailing core elements of program design. It covers needs assessment findings, training complementarity and gaps, stakeholder engagement, and student and alumni journeys. The work addresses employer competency requirements and highlights takeaways from the research and design process.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages51

Reading Time2 h 9 min

AccessFree to download

Summary

Program purpose and background

Needs assessment questions

Training and stakeholder engagement

Takeaways from the research and design process

© 2022 John Jay College institute for Justice and Opportunity John Jay College of Criminal Justice City University of New York, 524 West 59th Street, BMW Suite 609B, New York, NY 10019 The John Jay College Institute for Justice and Opportunity (the Institute) is a center for research and action at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice/CUNY. The Institute is committed to providing opportunities for people to live successfully in the community after involvement with the criminal legal system. Capitalizing on our position within a large public university and recognizing the transformational power of education, our work focuses on increasing access to higher education and career pathways for people with conviction histories. The Institute’s comprehensive and strategic approach includes direct service, research, training, and technical assistance. Learn more about our services and find our other publications at [www.justiceandopportunity.org](www.justiceandopportunity.org) Suggested Citation: The John Jay College Institute for Justice and Opportunity. Design and Implementation: The Navigator Certificate in Human Services and Community Justice. New York: The John Jay College Institute for Justice and Opportunity, December 2022. Summary In 2019, the John Jay College Institute for Justice and Opportunity (the Institute) launched a training program to prepare people with lived experience in the criminal legal system for employment and promotions in human services. The Institute believes that workforce and leadership development for people with lived experience in New York City’s criminal legal system are crucial for reform of that system and for an equitable pandemic recovery. This report offers key learnings of the Navigator Certificate in Human Services and Community Justice (the Navigator Certificate) to others who share the Institute’s commitment to leadership development and career pathways for people impacted by the legal system. The report features essential elements of program design, highlights the journeys of Navigator students, and celebrates alumni perspectives. The Institute gratefully acknowledges the vision and support of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Criminal justice (MOCJ), which in 2017 asked the Institute to develop a “forensic peer navigator” certificate training. As part of the Mayor’s “Jails to Jobs” initiative (now known as the Community Justice Reentry Network), MOCJ sought to prepare people directly impacted by the criminal legal system for jobs helping others make the transition from jail and prison to communities in NYC. In response to MOCJ’s guidance, the Institute examined human services workforce access for people impacted by the criminal legal system and the labor market needs of employers. Rooted in the institute’s core values of spurring systemic and individual change, the needs assessment explored: What lay at the heart of success in the human services workforce for people with lived experience in the criminal legal system? What obstacles prevented formerly incarcerated people and others with legal system involvement from getting hired for human services jobs, retaining their jobs, and advancing? What training already existed, and where were there gapsin training? How could a new training be complementary rather than duplicative? How had certification trainings been realized in mental health/ behavioral health fields? What jobs were available, and what competencies were required for those jobs? What competencies were required to advance from entry-level jobs, and how could the institute strengthen career pathways for people with lived experience in the criminal legal system? In the training design process, the Institute engaged with people impacted by the criminal legal system who were working in human services, employers at nonprofit and government agencies, training providers, and partners in academia and professional studies. We also convened an advisory comm

FAQs

What was the purpose of launching the Navigator Certificate training in 2019?

The training was launched to prepare people with lived experience in the criminal legal system for employment and promotions in human services. It aims to strengthen workforce and leadership development to support reform and an equitable recovery.

What topics did the needs assessment explore?

It examined success factors for the human services workforce, barriers to hiring and advancement for people with legal system involvement, gaps in existing training, and how a new program could avoid duplication while complementing what already exists. It also assessed available jobs and the competencies required for entry and advancement.

What do the report’s takeaways emphasize about employment for people with lived experience?

They highlight growing demand and the benefits of peer certification models in health and behavioral health. The report also notes a recurring problem: many roles lack living-wage salaries, benefits, professional skills development, and advancement opportunities, even as job opportunities increased before the pandemic.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Sophia Brooks