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CA Executive Director Robert Gangi Invited to Join New York State Juvenile Justice Task Force
We are pleased to announce that Robert Gangi, Executive Director of the Correctional Association, has been selected as a member of a new Juvenile Justice Task Force—appointed by Governor David Paterson—charged with reviewing and reforming the State’s policies and practices regarding incarcerated youth. In coordination with the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS)—the agency that operates juvenile prisons in New York—the governor has asked juvenile justice experts from across the state to help guide the State’s shift from a punitive model toward a community-based, rehabilitative approach. Chaired by John Jay College President Jeremy Travis, the Task Force is part of OCFS’ ongoing plans to transform that State’s juvenile justice system and is expected to convene its inaugural meeting in fall 2008. The Task Force will provide an opportunity for the CA and other advocates, to join in designing a system that not only sanctions and rehabilitates offenders but builds up impoverished communities and addresses the social and economic factors that drive youth involvement in the juvenile justice system.
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CA Victory: OCFS Enacts Landmark Policy for Gay and Transgender Youth
In March, the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) enacted an agency-wide anti-discrimination policy designed to support and protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth in state custody. The CA's Juvenile Justice Project and members of the Juvenile Justice Coalition, which it staffs and coordinates, worked closely with the agency to form the new policy, which is believed to be among the most progressive of its kind in the country. [read more]
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Drop the Rock and Assembly Mark 35 Years of Drug Law Injustice
 On Thursday, May 8, the New York State Assembly marked the 35th anniversary of the signing of the Rockefeller Drug Laws by holding a public hearing in New York City. Six criminal justice and public health committees convened the hearing to find out what effect three and a half decades of wasteful, ineffective, and racially-biased drug sentencing policy has had on drug use and crime. The CA’s Drop the Rock coalition and our allies were there. [read more]
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CA Helps Close Juvenile Prisons
 In February, shortly after New York’s Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) announced its plan to close six juvenile facilities, the CA’s Juvenile Justice Project (JJP) launched a strategic campaign to educate the public about the closures and urge policymakers to support the agency’s plan.
Correctly predicting backlash from upstate legislators who wanted to keep the facilities open for the jobs they provided in their districts, the CA sought to prevent the Legislature from restoring funding for the jails in the state budget.
[read more]
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Coalition for Women Prisoners’ Re-entry Committee Publishes New Book for Women Returning Home from Incarceration
 My Sister’s Keeper, A Book for Women Returning Home From Prison or Jail, is a unique compilation of the words and experiences of women from New York in various stages of returning home from incarceration. My Sister’s Keeper offers peer-to-peer guidance, strength and hope to help women in re-entry cope with challenges of reclaiming their lives. The CA’s Women in Prison Project will distribute the guide to women incarcerated in New York’s correctional facilities, as well as women in alternative to incarceration programs and transitional services programs throughout New York State.
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Coalition for Women Prisoners Holds 14th Annual Advocacy Day
 With over 275 formerly incarcerated women and other advocates in attendance, the Coalition’s 14th Annual Advocacy Day on March 4 marked another successful effort to raise awareness about criminal justice issues affecting women and their families.
Assemblymember Jeffrion Aubry, Chair of the Committee on Correction and sponsor of the Advocacy Day, welcomed participants and reiterated the importance of sharing with policymakers the experiences of women who have been directly affected by incarceration. During the day’s meetings, the Coalition’s 38 lobby teams met with approximately 180 legislators and staff, urging them to support key policy reforms. Each legislator received the Coalition’s 2008 Proposals for Reform brochure which summarizes the Coalition's top five legislative priorities.
Selected Advocacy Day press coverage:
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