NYCJC participants progressed through three phases of services: Phase 1 (about 3 weeks) provided job-readiness and life skills training, Phase 2 (minimum of 3 months) expected participants to partake in community service, and Phase 3 (minimum of 6 weeks) provided paid internships in public or private organizations or placement in a job or educational program. Participants could continue to receive work-readiness services during Phases 2 and 3, and, in all phases, participants could receive job coaching, counseling, and education services.

Participants received the opportunity to gain and maintain employment before their release from prison, though they were responsible for finding their own job. Most participants found jobs through newspaper listings, typically within two to four weeks after starting the program. Additionally, participants transferred to work release centers, where they attend an orientation on the work release program and were allowed to leave the center for their scheduled work hours. Participants who attained employment had 45 percent of wages garnished for room and board in work-release centers.

Community-based organizations (more than 25 as of the time the evaluation was published) offer STRIVE. Participants first attended a job-readiness training that covered interview techniques and helped develop participants’ soft skills, including the attitudes and behaviors necessary to be successful in the workplace. Participants who had been released from jail or prison within the last 24 hours (or within the last 72 hours if released on a Friday or traveling a significant distance) received housing.