Amanda Rivera is the social worker for Up & Out at Midtown Community Court. In her current role, Amanda oversees programming and facilitates group and individual sessions of Up & Out, a program grounded in cognitive behavioral treatment, procedural justice, and trauma-informed care designed to reduce recidivism risk among misdemeanor-level defendants in New York City. During her time at the Midtown Community Court, Amanda has worked with various populations including adults mandated to substance use recovery programs, victims of human trafficking, and justice-involved adolescents. Amanda joined the Center for Court Innovation in 2010 as an AmeriCorps member at the Red Hook Community Justice Center and in 2012 went on to help develop Alternative to Incarceration (ATI) services for court-involved adults struggling with substance use and unmet mental health needs at Midtown Community Court and New York Criminal Court. Amanda is committed to taking a trauma-informed, anti-oppressive approach to her work. She holds a B.A in Sociology and Art History from SUNY Cortland and a Master’s in Social Work from the Hunter Silberman School of Social Work.