CORRECTIONAL ASSOCIATION OF NEW YORK

Through its work, the Juvenile Justice Project(http://www.correctionalassociation.org/JJP/index.htm) seeks to reorient the justice system away from a punitive approach toward a stronger emphasis on community-based prevention and alternatives to jail and prison. More specifically, the Project: coordinates the Juvenile Justice Coalition(http://www.correctionalassociation.org/JJP/jjcoalition.htm) to advocate and lobby for fair and effective responses to youth crime; produces reports(http://www.correctionalassociation.org/publications/reports.htm#JJP) , position papers and fact sheets(http://www.correctionalassociation.org/publications/factsheets.htm#JJP) , which analyze existing juvenile justice policies and explore alternatives; educates the public and state and local legislators about juvenile justice issues through media outreach, public forums, advocacy days in Albany, and other public events; and trains young people, their families, and community members to become leaders in the movement to transform juvenile justice policies in New York.

Our Juvenile Justice Project’s efforts are rooted in the belief that a community justice approach—in the form of creative partnerships among community groups, juvenile justice institutions and young people—is the best way to change how this system operates in poor, marginalized communities.  The Project works to decrease the number of New York youth entering jails and prisons; reduce racial disparity in the juvenile justice system; ensure the legal rights of all court-involved youth; improve outcomes for young people confined in juvenile justice institutions; and involve young people in decision-making about juvenile justice policy.

We measure our short-term progress on the successful completion of the advocacy, collaboration, and public education activities, and by the momentum that we build in helping create the political environment where substantive juvenile justice policy reform can occur.

The Project supplied key support for New York State Office of Children and Family Services proposals to close juvenile prisons, which resulted in agreements by state legislators to close a total of 11 state juvenile prisons and 3 evening reporting centers and to downsize 2 additional juvenile prisons.   The Project successfully advocated for reinvesting significant portions of cost savings in alternative programs.  JJP was also a leading advocate for the Safe Harbor Act for Exploited Children, a law that prevents the state from prosecuting and incarcerating sexually exploited children on prostitution charges and creates a range of victim services.

The Public Policy Project(http://www.correctionalassociation.org/PPP/index.htm) 's current principal goal is to reduce over-incarceration in New York State. To achieve this objective, the Project coordinates the Drop the Rock Coalition, which advocates for policies that reduce incarceration rates, including repealing the vestiges of the Rockefeller Drug Laws. Through education, organizing and advocacy, Drop the Rock aims to decrease the number of people who are incarcerated in New York and reduce the bed capacity of the state prison system. Our grassroots campaign promotes full repeal of the Rockefeller Drug Laws and constructive reforms to parole and work release policies, which cause the unnecessary imprisonment of thousands of people each year. In addition we strongly advocate for reinvestment in alternative, prevention, and in-prison rehabilitation programs to prepare people for successful reentry.

The end goals of the Public Policy Project are: the reduction of overincarceration rates in New York; the reinvestment of funds into rehabilitative and alternative to incarceration programs; and the full repeal of the Rockefeller Drug Laws.

We measure our short-term progress on the successful completion of the advocacy, collaboration, and public education activities, and by the momentum that we build in helping create the political environment where substantive criminal justice policy reform can occur.

On April 24, 2009, Governor David Paterson signed into law significant reforms marking the beginning of the end of New York’s notorious Rockefeller Drug Laws. The deal for reform came three weeks after the CA's Drop the Rock Advocacy Day in Albany—where advocates delivered 30,000 petitions supporting repeal to Governor Paterson, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith—and only two days after a rally organized by Drop the Rock calling for the end of the drug laws outside of Governor Paterson's New York City office.

Focusing on men's prisons, the Prison Visiting Projec(http://www.correctionalassociation.org/PVP/index.htm target=) t carries out the CA's unique legislative authority to monitor prison conditions in New York State correctional facilities. In conjunction with regular monitoring visits, the Project conducts intensive investigations on key corrections issues and releases detailed reports of findings and recommendations. After issuing the reports, the Project engages in extensive follow up: urging policymakers to adopt its recommendations; educating the public through the news media, the CA website and public forums; and participating in coalitions of concerned organizations to support and expand the movement for change.

Over the next year, the Project will conduct regular monitoring visits to 8-10 correctional facilities and publish facility reports on each.

Following our visits, the Project prepares comprehensive institutional reports issued to facility administrators, DOCS officials, relevant state agencies and legislators, and to the general public. Presented to a facility’s executive team—the superintendent and administrators who oversee an individual prison—and to DOCS Central Office, these reports draw attention to conditions and programs inside prisons, serve as tools for improving conditions in specific facilities, and provide a means of promoting model programs and best practices. The Project also provides inmates with our contact information, and receives and responds to approximately 100 letters every month from prisoners seeking assistance and conveying grievances.

In addition to its monitoring and research work, the Project has: successfully advocated for a new law that mandates the New York State Department of Health to oversee HIV and hepatitis C care in NY prisons; released the first-ever comprehensive review of the State's prison-based substance abuse treatment programs(http://www.correctionalassociation.org/PVP/substance_abuse.htm) . The report, Treatment Behind Bars: Substance Abuse Treatment in New York State Prisons, 2007-2010, culminates a three-year study conducted by the PVP, including visits to 23 prisons; interviews with experts, treatment staff and participants; and, the analysis of over 2,300 inmate surveys and system-wide data; helped defeat an amendment put forth by the governor that would have seriously weakened the SHU Bill—landmark legislation the CA successfully promoted in 2008 that prohibits prisons from confining people with mental illness in punitive segregation, or Special Housing Units.

Using unique statutory authority granted to the Association in 1846, the Women in Prison Project(http://www.correctionalassociation.org/WIPP/index.htm) (WIPP) monitors conditions in women's prisons in New York – a role played by no other group in the state or country.  WIPP also coordinates the Coalition for Women Prisoners, a statewide alliance comprised of more than 1,600  people from over 100 organizations.  Together, WIPP and the Coalition carry out advocacy campaigns to reform harmful criminal justice policies and create new practices that make sense for women and that raise the standard of living for all.  In 2003, WIPP launched ReConnect, a leadership and advocacy training program for women recently home from prison. WIPP also performs research and policy analysis, publishes policy papers and reports, and conducts public education and community organizing.

Recognizing that incarceration is an ineffective and inhumane response to the social ills facing women, the Project advocates for a shift in government priorities away from prison and toward alternative programs where a woman can stay connected to her family, address underlying issues, and become a productive member of society.

Prison Monitoring: Following a facility visit, the Project prepares comprehensive institutional reports issued to facility administrators, DOCS officials, relevant state agencies and legislators, and to the general public. Presented to a facility’s executive team—the superintendent and administrators who oversee an individual prison—and to DOCS Central Office, these reports draw attention to conditions and programs inside prisons, serve as tools for improving conditions in specific facilities, and provide a means of promoting model programs and best practices. WIPP also provides inmates with our contact information, and receives letters every month from women seeking assistance and conveying grievances. Advocacy: We measure our short-term progress on the successful completion of the advocacy, collaboration, and public education activities, and by the momentum that we build in helping create the political environment where our Coalition’s legislative priorities can become realities. We will assess this momentum by the number of elected officials, policymakers, and agency administrators who support our reforms and by the number of formerly incarcerated women and community members we mobilize to speak out in favor of our current legislative agenda. ReConnect: The Project will continue to evaluate the success of its ReConnect(http://www.correctionalassociation.org/WIPP/reconnect.htm) program on the basis of a combination of practical results: our ability to run two training cycles per year with approximately 80% of the participants successfully completing their three month cycle; constructive feedback obtained from program participants through written surveys and one-on-one interviews completed at the end of each ReConnect training; feedback from participants about ways they utilize the information and skills obtained through the program to meet key reentry needs and advocate for themselves; strong and consistent peer leader participation; and increased participation of participants and alumnae in Coalition for Women Prisoners work and community advocacy.

What we have recently accomplished: Spearheading successful campaigns to enact the: (1) Anti-Shackling Law, which forbids prisons and jails from restraining incarcerated women during labor, delivery and recovery; (2) Adoption and Safe Families Act Expanded Discretion Law, which helps protect the parental rights of incarcerated mothers with children in foster care; (3) HIV-Hepatitis C Oversight Law which requires the Department of Health to monitor HIV/HCV care in prison; and (4) Medicaid Suspension Law, which reversed the state’s practice of terminating Medicaid for people entering prison and jail. Helping to secure state funding for a family visitation program at New York’s largest women’s prison and establishing health and parenting sections in the libraries of each women’s prison. Initiating an intensive program to monitor conditions inside women’s prisons, gather information using gender-specific research tools, and advocate for improvements. Graduating 127 women from ReConnect and launching a Peer Leader initiative for graduates to engage in program support, mentoring, continued training, policy work and community outreach.