{"id":1930,"date":"2026-06-13T11:35:40","date_gmt":"2026-06-13T11:35:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1930"},"modified":"2026-06-13T11:35:40","modified_gmt":"2026-06-13T11:35:40","slug":"exclusive-nyc-shells-out-6m-in-taxpayer-dollars-for-shrinks-to-treat-ex-con-violence-interrupters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1930","title":{"rendered":"Exclusive | NYC shells out $6M in taxpayer dollars for shrinks to treat ex-con ‘violence interrupters’"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Ex-con \u201cviolence interrupters\u201d hired in some of the Big Apple\u2019s roughest neighborhoods to stop crimes before cops get involved are getting millions of dollars worth of free therapy, The Post has learned.<\/p>\n

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NYC has shelled out $1.2 million of a $6 million contract with Agape Moments LLC to create the \u201cStrong Messenger Program,\u201d providing counseling to the interrupters, often ex-cons with violent histories dispatched to quell tensions between gangs they may have once belonged to.<\/p>\n

So far, 18 therapists have provided 1,100 hours of group therapy to 32 non-profit organizations, reaching 360 individuals. The contract is funded by the city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene until 2030.<\/p>\n

Clinicians provided more than 390 hours of individual therapy sessions to the violence interrupters upon request, according to Agape, whose name comes from the Greek concept of \u201cunconditional love.\u2019 <\/p>\n

Individual violence interrupters can receive up to 24 therapy sessions per year,\u201d according to the contract, inked in 2024 under former Mayor Eric Adams.<\/p>\n

\u201cInvesting in the mental health of our community workers is a direct investment in the long-term success and stability of New York City\u2019s public safety infrastructure,\u201d insisted the New York City based group.<\/p>\n

Critics bashed the lefty program is siphoning money away from the NYPD and achieving very little.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat the f\u2013k do they need therapy for?\u201d a police source raged about the program. \u201cThe majority of violence interrupters have criminal pasts.\u201d<\/p>\n

The city shells out nearly $100 million annually for its Crisis Management System, which includes more than 20 non-profit Community Violence Intervention groups, according to a city comptroller\u2019s report last year.<\/p>\n

Read more Meet USMNT World Cup 2026 roster: From star Christian Pulisic to potential X-factor Alex Freeman<\/a><\/p>\n

One community violence intervention group that receives city funds employed an ex-con killer who cops say slashed a man in the Bronx last month, The Post revealed.<\/p>\n

The Bronx Rises Against Gun Violence worker \u2014 Mario Munro \u2014 allegedly attacked a stranger around 3 p.m. May 5 near the nonprofit\u2019s Boston Road office, police sources said. He was arrested May 28, according to court records, and charged with assault, weapon possession and menacing. He pleaded not guilty and bail was set at $40,000 cash or $100,000 bond. He was sent to Rikers Island jail.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Supporters say interrupters are better able to communicate with potential trouble makers and defuse disputes before they escalate because they share similar backgrounds to the offenders. They point to city data that shows shootings and crime are down in some of the city\u2019s most notorious crime hotspots.<\/p>\n

A Health Department spokesman said, \u201cViolence interrupters are a vital part of the Mamdani administration\u2019s response to conflict.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Strong Messenger program \u201csupports the mental and emotional health\u201d of the violence interrupters \u201cas they handle stressful and violent conflicts,\u201d the statement said. \u201cThis program helps make violence interrupters more successful, creating a safer city for New Yorkers.\u201d<\/p>\n

John Jay College of Criminal Justice adjunct professor Michael Alcazar, a former NYPD detective, said the counseling services for violence interrupters were redundant because police already deal with violence and have counseling services available to them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s just an extra bankroll,\u201d said Alcazar. \u201cIt\u2019s just something they\u2019re adding onto the city\u2019s budget when they could get it on the cheap because cops are already doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more USMNT avoids another kit disaster with flag-inspired \u2018Stripes\u2019 look<\/a><\/p>\n

Additional reporting by Nick Labbat<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The city is paying millions of dollars to provide therapy to violence interrupter\u00a0groups, which are staffed with ex-cons,\u00a0The Post has learned.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1929,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1930","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-metro"],"yoast_head":"\nExclusive | NYC shells out $6M in taxpayer dollars for shrinks to treat ex-con 'violence interrupters' - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=1930\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Exclusive | NYC shells out $6M in taxpayer dollars for shrinks to treat ex-con 'violence interrupters' - 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