Standards Specialist

The Board seeks to add a Standards Specialist (Monitor) with a passion for justice, fairness, and human rights, and the ability to collaborate with researchers to leverage the powers of the Board. This is an opportunity to join BOC’s Monitoring & Research unit. We are a nationally unique institution with broad powers of access and oversight under the New York City Charter. The Board’s oversight and evaluation staff focus on the BOC’s core oversight functions as delineated in the City Charter.

Standards Specialists (Monitors) are critical BOC team members. Monitors serve as the “eyes and ears” of the Board and of the City within the nine jails on Rikers Island, one borough jails, as well as court pens and hospital wards. Monitors have unfettered access to the jails in order to promote compliance with the Board’s Minimum Standards.

The Monitor will report to their respective Director. Responsibilities include but are not limited to:
• Conduct weekly tours of all jails, court pens, hospital wards
• Enforce the Minimum Standards by touring jails, taking complaints from people in custody, and resolving them by obtaining Department of Correction cooperation
• Analyzing compliance by the NYC Department of Correction (DOC) with the Minimum Standards, consent decrees, and other legal mandates and Departmental policies, procedures, orders and directives
• Analyzing compliance by the NYC Correctional Health Services (CHS) with the Health and Mental Health Care Minimum Standards
• Preparing written reports on all investigations, surveys and analyses
• Providing technical assistance to DOC administrators aimed at achieving compliance with the above-mentioned regulations and improving working and living conditions.
• Conducting fact-finding and investigations regarding such unusual incidents as deaths, disturbances, escapes, etc. and preparing reports, studies, surveys and correspondence with respect to such incidents
• Assisting in the review and analysis of DOC and CHS requests for variances from the Standards
• Assisting in processing, evaluating and preparing responses to appeals from people in custody concerning the Minimum Standards

1. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university and two years of full-time paid experience in correction, social work, psychology, law, public administration or related field providing direct services to an inmate or detention population within a correctional or related facility; or

2. A four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent approved by a State’s Department of Education or a recognized accrediting organization and four years of full-time paid experience as described in “1” above; or

3. Education and/or experience equivalent to “1” or “2” above. Service as an inmate in a correctional or related facility may be substituted for a portion of the required experience up to a maximum of two years on a year for year basis. A graduate degree from an accredited college or university with a major in social work, psychology, law, criminal justice or public administration which includes a field placement performing duties as described above may be substituted for up to one year of full-time paid experience as described above. However, all candidates must have at least one year of full-time paid experience as described in “1” above.