Reentry Net/NY
January 2008 Resource
Updates and Highlights
You are receiving this newsletter because you are a member
of the New York State Reentry Resource Center,
a network of more than 1,000 advocates and direct service providers from all
around the state. Each month, we bring
you resource highlights, news, and policy updates from the online resource
center.
Note: If your Internet browser
blocks pop-ups, hold the Ctrl key while you click on individual resources to
download them directly.
*Birth
Certificate Legislation Passes New York City Council*
On December 31, 2007
signed Intro. No. 574A, a bill
granting free birth certificates to all residents coming home from City jails
(after serving 90 days) or New York State prisons, into law. The intention and
effect will be to rescind one more barrier to people successfully reentering
their communities and attempting to rebuild their lives after incarceration.
Birth certificates, along with other vital identifying documents, are needed
for many aspects of making a new life - including employment, housing,
applications to educational institutions, healthcare, other benefits and social
services. The law will take effect 90
days after it was signed. Click here to read the
full text of Intro. No. 574A from the New York City Council website, and here
to read Mayor Bloombergs remarks.
*New
York State Legislature Ends Use of Solitary Confinement for Mentally Ill
Prisoners*
On January 15, 2008 the
New York State Senate and Assembly passed a bill that mandates the removal of
imprisoned people with serious psychiatric disabilities from 24-hour solitary
confinement. Under the new law, these
individuals will be moved into treatment-based secure facilities. The law also requires the state to conduct
mental health assessments of everyone housed in segregated or special housing
units (known as SHUs). The Associated
Press reports, New York has had more prisoners in segregated units for
disciplinary purposes than any state. Almost a quarter of the prisoners in the
segregated housing in New York had a history of mental illness and advocates
for the mentally ill said solitary confinement can lead to more suicides and
poorer mental health. Click here for more information from the
Boot the SHU website.
*Prison and
Juvenile Detention Facility Closings*
The New York State
Department of Correctional Services (DOCS) and the Office of Children and
Family Services (OCFS) have both announced upcoming facility closures. DOCS reports
that it will close Pharsalia and Gabriels correctional camps, the medium
security Hudson Correctional Facility and Camp McGregor, the minimum security
camp at Mt. McGregor Correctional Facility, in January 2009. New York State
Office of Children & Family Services Commissioner Gladys Carrión today
announced the closing of six underutilized residential facilities as part of an
ongoing restructuring to significantly improve services to troubled
children. The agency is closing five
facilities upstate and the Pyramid Reception Center in The Bronx.
*Resource
Highlights*
Social Insecurity: How
the Social Security Administrations Fugitive Felon Program Harms Disabled,
Retired, and Poor Americans Without Aiding Law Enforcement: This new report by the Mental
Health Project at the Urban Justice Center documents the problems with the
Social Security Administrations implementation of the Fugitive Felon Program,
and makes recommendations for what Congress can do to protect vulnerable
Americans who are caused undue suffering.
Click here
to access the report from the Library.
Also, click
here to find out about the SSAs new program subjecting high risk
visitors to enhanced security.
New York State Supreme
Court Upholds Due Process for Job-Seekers With Criminal Records: New York State Supreme Court Judge
Hon. Marylin G. Diamond partially denies Department of Education's motion to
dismiss in a case involving the application for certification of bus
drivers/escorts who had criminal convictions where the Judge holds that there
could be due process violations for those applying for certification, as well
as those who already have certification.
Read the decision
or visit the folder on occupational
barriers in the education field for the original Article 78 Petition and
Department of Education regulations.
New York State
Commission on Sentencing Reform: Full
transcripts of the Sentencing Commission hearings are now available, along with
background information and a copy of the Preliminary Report, on the
Commissions website.
Remember to visit Past
Resources of the Week for
highlighted reports, toolkits, and training materials from the past year.
*Upcoming Events & Opportunities*
Community Leadership and Education After Re-Entry: The College and Community Fellowship (CCF) has developed a research project named "Community Leadership and Education After Re-Entry," or CLEAR. The aim of CLEAR is to engage formerly incarcerated scholars in research related to race, class, gender, and mass incarceration. CLEAR is open to CCF students, alumni, and to all formerly incarcerated individuals who have a bachelor's degree and are currently engaged in criminal justice/reentry reform. Seriously interested individuals should download and complete the application, and submit a 500-word essay. Applications will not be considered without the essay. Accepted applicants will receive a small stipend. Due to limited funding, we are only able to accept 10 participants in this program. The deadline for all applications is January 31.
Upcoming Forum on
Pre-Booking Jail Diversion: Come join people
directly affected, advocates, government officials, academics, and legal
providers as they engage in an open discussion about the current state of the
criminal justice system and how pre-booking jail diversion can be implemented
to best service people with psychiatric disabilities. This Open
Forum organized by Rights for Imprisoned People with Psychiatric
Disabilities (RIPPD) is scheduled for June 6, 2008. Visit www.rippd.org to
register or contact Lisa Ortega (lortega@rippd.org)
New Fees & Fines Listserv: The
Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law has recently started and
exciting new listserv about criminal justice fees and fines and their
implications for re-entry. From
court-imposed surcharges to restitution obligations to probation supervision
fees, "legal financial obligations" are imposed at every stage of the
criminal justice process. The new
listserv offers a forum to public defenders, civil legal aid attorneys, reentry
advocates, and others in which to discuss the growing practice of imposing
financial obligations on individuals in the criminal justice system. If you would like to join the listserv,
please send an e-mail to david.pedulla@nyu.edu
at the Brennan Center for Justice.
Visit
our homepage for job announcements at The Bronx Defenders, Urban Justice
Center, and the Correctional Associations Women in Prison Project; the Grants Clearinghouse for
new private foundation and government funding opportunities; and the Calendar for full listings of events, updated weekly.
Want to post an event on Reentry Net? Click on "Add
an Event" in the upper right corner of the Calendar page
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