DOP & NeON Arts Featured by Kresge Foundation

"If we don’t do something to reform our probation and parole systems and turn them into systems that are actually designed to support people’s meaningful re-entry in society rather than simply ensnare people once again into the system, we can continue to expand the size of our prison population simply by continuing to revoke people’s probation and parole and keep that revolving door swinging.” Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow

Grounded in the belief that there is a better way, the New York City Department of Probation (DOP) established the Neighborhood Opportunity Network (NeON) in 2011. The network is comprised of community organizations, government agencies, local businesses, and community residents focused on connecting probation clients to opportunities, resources, and services.

DOP’s NeON program is centered on infusing resources into disinvested neighborhoods, establishing authentic relationships with residents and key stakeholders to address the root causes that contribute to justice involvement and to have a positive and transformative impact in people’s lives.

NeON is based on a systemic, person-centered, and holistic approach to investing in communities impacted by mass incarceration and dedicated to addressing racial inequity and trauma wrought by unjust policies. Neighborhoods that have persistently high concentrations of youth on probation, including East New York, Bedford Stuyvesant, and the Brownsville sections of Brooklyn, Jamaica, Queens, the South Bronx, Staten Island and Harlem, are where the NeON program is focused.

Read more