Vera Institute of Justice

Overview

The New York City Department of Probation (DOP), in an effort to bolster public safety and increase the likelihood of a probationer successfully completing his or her sentence, implemented a series of reforms, chief among them the Neighborhood Opportunity Network (NeON). The initiative aims to improve probation clients’ outcomes by locating DOP services within their communities, instead of in central offices in each borough that may be difficult to reach. This brief describes DOP’s recent reform efforts, and the strengths, challenges, and opportunities of NeON by drawing upon interviews with DOP leadership and staff and staff at several NeON sites.