Established in 1967, CASES (the Center for Alternative Sentencing & Employment Services) is dedicated to increasing public safety through innovative services that reduce crime and incarceration, improve behavioral health, promote recovery and rehabilitation, and create opportunities for success in the community.
In 2000, CASES launched its groundbreaking Nathaniel Project, New York City’s first alternative-to-incarceration program for adults with serious mental illness (SMI) who are facing prison as the result of felony charges. Named for a man experiencing homelessness whose mental illness went untreated as he cycled in and out of the criminal legal system for 15 years, the Nathaniel Project has earned national recognition for safely supervising and supporting clients as they work within their community to rebuild their lives.
In 2000, CASES launched its groundbreaking Nathaniel Project, New York City’s first alternative-to-incarceration program for adults with serious mental illness (SMI), who are facing prison as the result of felony charges. Named for a man experiencing homelessness whose mental illness went untreated as he cycled in and out of the criminal legal system for 15 years, the Nathaniel Project has earned national recognition for safely supervising and supporting clients as they work within their community to rebuild their lives.
CASES clinical staff working in the courts identify people with indications of psychiatric distress who may be appropriate for the Project. Working with the client and their defense attorney, CASES develops a plan to support the client’s return to the community. If the court agrees, sentencing is deferred pending the outcome of a 2- to 3-year treatment period, during which clients engage with CASES staff in intensive case management, court advocacy, mental health and substance-use treatment, medication management, and housing and employment services—delivered by a state-licensed mobile treatment team.
