Andrew Glover Youth Program (AGYP), incorporated in 1979, was founded in response to an increase in juvenile crime on New York City’s Lower East Side in the 1970s. Named for a policeman in the community who was killed in the line of duty during a career committed to steering youth from crime, AGYP seeks to intervene and reclaim young people from lives of crime, to provide overloaded courts with a reliable alternative to incarceration, and to make NYC neighborhoods safer for everyone.

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AGYP’s primary program component is its Court Advocacy work, in which it works to identify young people prepared to accept responsibility for their mistakes and to advocate with the courts for alternative sentencing so that the youth can begin to turn their lives around.  AGYP staff advocate on behalf of youth to be assigned to AGYP’s care rather than be sent to jail or prison.  Under AGYP’s care, youth create a rehabilitation plan which typically involves attending programs at AGYP’s two youth centers, one located on the Lower East Side and the other in East Harlem.  Youth are referred to services at other programs (e.g., job training, substance abuse treatment) as needed.  AGYP youth workers meet with youth regularly and are on call to support them twenty-four hours a day.  For the duration of their assignment to AGYP, youth also appear before their sentencing judges at regular intervals, accompanied by their assigned youth worker who provides the court with status reports on the youth’s progress and compliance.  Through its comprehensive and individualized services, AGYP consistently achieves strong results.  For example, 84% of all clients avoid a re-arrest in New York State for three years after enrolling in the program, and only 6% have been incarcerated since their enrollment in the program. 

For over three decades, Angel Rodriguez has served as the Executive Director, working with youth in the community in which he grew up, went to school, and still lives today.  Part youth worker, part inspirational leader, Angel has direct and daily involvement with clients, supervising the most sensitive advocacy procedures and carrying a heavy caseload.  A known and respected figure both in the courtroom and on the streets of the Lower East Side, Angel’s work continues around the clock as he moves through the neighborhood.  Under Angel’s leadership the Glover Program has been the recipient of many awards and has helped generations of young people build productive and happy lives.

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