Reentry Resource Center - New York

Reentry Net/NY
Serving People from Arrest to Reintegration
August 2011 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 2,800 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.
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*The People's Guide is Now Live*

Reentry Net has launched its newest module, The People's Guide, which provides basic information about some of the many consequences of criminal charges, convictions, and incarceration in New York State. The section answers frequently asked questions about the legal barriers to housing, immigration, employment and other critical issues, and provides some help navigating those barriers. The module is based on one of our most popular resources, The Consequences of Criminal Charges: A People's Guide published by The Bronx Defenders with the Community Service Society and LawHelp/NY.


*News and Alerts*

EEOC Hearing on Criminal Records & Employment: Please Make Your Voice Heard - The National Employment Law Project and Community Service Society are calling advocacy and service organization to send more letters to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission(EEOC)to highlight the realities of criminal background checks and the barriers they create to employment. The deadline is August 10, so please do so as soon as possible. Click the link for more information.

NYCLU Survey about the NYPD - Have an opinion about the NYPD’s practices in your neighborhood or an experience you would like to share? The NYCLU wants to hear from you. Please fill out the survey and share your experiences.

LATFOR will Comply with New York's Redistricting Law - New York’s Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment (LATFOR) has announced at a public hearing that it will fully comply with last year’s law that ended prison-based gerrymandering. (via Prisoner of the Census Blog)


*Resource Highlights*

Padilla v. Kentucky Compliance Guide - Another new Reentry Net module contains links to practice materials that will assist defense counsel, judges, and prosecutors in complying with standards set by Padilla v. Kentucky decision, which ruled that defense counsel must give affirmative, competent advice to clients of the severe risk of all penalties "enmeshed" with the criminal charges or potential pleas.  If you know of resources that we should add to the module, please email us!  

Department of State Licensing Decisions of Interest - Reentry Net has compiled a list of decisions of interest in employment cases involving Certificates of Good Conduct and Certificates of Relief from Disabilities. Visit our Employment & Licensing Module to access more resources, including manuals for reading and reviewing Rap sheets and challenging employment discrimination.

Federal District Court Rules Municipal Law Restricting Housing for Sex Offenders is Preempted by New York State Law -  Decision by The United States District Court for the Western District of New York rules that City of Geneva cannot impose residency requirements for individuals with sex offense convictions in addition to those set by New York State law. The court found that Municipal Code Chapter 285 is preempted by New York State's "comprehensive, detailed, and thorough scheme for regulating sex offenders," and ruled the law as invalid.

On the Chopping Block: State Prison Closings - Briefing paper by The Sentencing Project highlights the recent trend of state prison closures reversing 40 years of record prison expansion. The report finds that at least 13 states have closed or are considering closing correctional facilities in 2011. It attributes the trend to fiscal budget pressures and recent policy changes in sentencing and juvenile incarceration that have reduced prison populations.

Multi-Site Adult Drug Court Evaluation: Executive Summary - The Urban Insitute has published an executive summary for what it calls the most extensive study of drug courts-a five-year examination of 23 courts and six comparison jurisdictions in eight states. The study found that these court programs can significantly decrease drug use and criminal behavior, with positive outcomes increasing as participants sensed their judge treated them more fairly, showed greater respect and interest in them, and gave them more chances to talk during courtroom proceedings.

Visit Reentry Net/NY Issue Modules: Padilla Compliance Guide | People's Guide | Employment & Licensing | Housing | Discharge Planning - These modules serve as a starting point for accessing the resources available on Reentry Net, and direct users the most useful and frequently accessed resources from the Library.

Remember to visit our Monthly Mailing Archive for highlighted reports, toolkits, and training materials from the past year.


*Upcoming Events*

Prison Families of New York Albany Support Group - Join Prison Families of New York for weekly meetings for persons with currently and formerly incarcerated loved ones. PFNY-Albany meets every Monday at The Women's Building, 373 Central Av Albany, NY. 

The Sharing Our Strengths Support Group - Join BET journalist and personality, Samson Styles as he speaks at the Sharing Our Strengths Support Group hosted by the Osborne Association. The event will be held on Wednesday, August 10 from 4:30-7:00 PM at The Osborne Association. For more information or to RSVP, contact Yvette Woodard at yvette325@optonline.net or 917-365-0807. 

Prisoners Are People Too! Community Education Meeting - Join Prisoners are People Too for their monthly meeting on August 29th at 6PM. The meetings feature documentary films, guest speakers and community members discussing criminal justice issues. The next meeting will be held at the Pratt-Willert Community Center, 422 Pratt St., Buffalo, NY. For more information, contact Karima Amin at karima@prisonersarepeopletoo.org or 716-834-8438.

Coalition for Women Prisoner's Coalition and Committee Meetings - The Coalition for Women Prisoners will hold a full coalition meeting on Thursday, September 15 from 5-7PM at the Correctional Association. The coalition is also also holding their Incarcerated Mothers Committeand Violence Against Mothers Committee on September 8 at 10:30 AM and 5:30 PM respectively. For more information, contact Stacey Thompson at sthompson@correctionalassociation.org

Want to post an event on Reentry Net?  Click on "Add an Event" in the upper right corner of the Calendar Click here to subscribe to our Calendar's RSS feed.   


*Opportunities in the Field*

Call for Applications: Soros Justice Fellowships

Associate Director for Special Projects of the Prison Visiting Project - The Correctional Association of New York

Director of Programs; Career Development Specialist; Policy Associate at College and Community Fellowship

Various Positions - Fortune Society


Remember to visit Reentry Net for full calendar listings and  new job opportunities!

Reentry Net/NY
860 Courtlandt Avenue
Bronx, NY 10451
(718) 838-7878
dawitg@bronxdefenders.org
www.reentry.net/ny


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 If you would like to submit resources for inclusion in our library, please contact Dawit Getachew (dawitg@bronxdefenders.org).

 

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