Online and Other Resources for Volunteers

Inmate Locator and Case Lookup

Before spending your time on answering a reference question, it is a good idea to check that the author of the letter is still incarcerated. You can look an inmate up by name or DIN on New York State's Inmate Population Information Search.

There is also a NYC DOC inmate locator.

This type of search is available for other state prison systems, and some county jails as well.

For Connecticut inmates, see here. This site also contains reentry information specific to that state.

You can search NYS criminal cases via the NYS Unified Court System WebCrims database.

Employment

Inmates frequently ask for advice on obtaining employment despite having a record. This is addressed in Connections, but there are other resources that also touch on this subject. For instance, the U.S. Department of Labor in 2005 issued a 60 page document entitled Employment Information Handbook for Ex-Offenders, which contains some extremely helpful and practical information.

There is also a website that lists companies that hire convicted felons.

The Center for Employment Opportunities is an organization with headquarters in NYC that works to place the formerly incarcerated in employment positions.

The National H.I.R.E Network was established by the Legal Action Center, and functions as both an aggregate of resources for ex-inmates and as an advocacy program.

Reentry.net is another very useful site. It has a Research and Policy Library with links to materials on recidivism, alternatives to incarceration, finding a lawyer, and policy reform, among other topics.

The Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) has a program called Step (Skills Training & Employment Project) that provides job hunting resources such as résumé writing and practice exams, including the GRE and various civil service exams, via the Learning Express Library. Civil service exams in particular are frequently inquired about. The monthly civil service exam schedule can be found at NYC.gov.

The BPL also has a website with job hunting resources, in addition to some brochures that can be downloaded:
---Job Hunting
---Free Services & Programs for Ex-Offenders
---GED Test Preparation

Another common request is for a Letter of Reasonable Assurance. Inmates may request one of these via the Fortune Society, an organization that provides social services to ex-offenders in NYC.

Education

Many inmates are interested in pursuing an education while incarcerated. The Brooklyn Public Library has a brochure that has some helpful resources, entitled Internet Resources: COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES. There is also a book called the Prisoner's Guerrilla Handbook to Correspondence Programs In the United States and Canada, available from Prison Legal News for about $50. This book was written by Jon Marc Taylor, who completed his bachelor's and master's degrees while incarcerated.

The Bard Prison Initiative is a program that assists incarcerated individuals with obtaining a Bard College Degree. The program is available to NYS inmates. They can reached at:

Bard Prison Initiative
Bard College
PO Box 5000
Annandale-on-Hudson, NY 12504-5000
845-758-7308

The Prison Studies Project maintains a national directory of prison education programs Some of the programs in New York State include:

Rising Hope, Inc., which is partnered with Nyack College and serves Sing Sing, Green Haven, Fishkill and Woodburne Correctional Facilities. Inmates may contact them at:

Bob Lukey
Rising Hope, Inc.
PO Box 906
Croton Falls, NY 10519
914-276-7848

Hudson Link for Higher Education, which is partnered with Mercy College, Nyack College, Vassar College and Sullivan County Community College. Prisons served include Fishkill, Sing Sing and Sullivan Correctional Facilities for Men and Taconic Correctional Facility for Women. The program can be reached at:

Sean Pica
Executive Director
[email protected]
(914-941-0794)
P.O. Box 862
Ossining, NY 10562
Tel: (914) 941-0794
[email protected]

Bedford Hills College Program, which is associated with Marymount Manhattan College, and provides college preparatory courses and for-credit courses for Associate's and Bachelor's degrees in sociology at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, a maximum security prison for women. Interested individuals can contact:

Aileen Baumgartner
Director of BHCP
Bedford Hills College Program
Marymount Manhattan College
221 East 71st Street NY, NY 10021
914-241-3100 ext. 4514

The Cornell Prison Education Program, through which Cornell University faculty and graduate students teach college-level courses to inmates at Auburn Correctional Facility and Cayuga Correctional Facility. Credits may be applied to an associate's degree at Cayuga Community College.

Cornell Prison Education Program
Jim Schecter, Executive Director
Cornell Prison Education Program
101 Mcgraw Hall
Knight Writing Center
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853

Grants and Scholarships

We often receive requests for information on grants and scholarships. Federal Funds Express has some helpful information on how to find and apply for grants.

NB: The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, which Bill Clinton signed into law in 1994, bans federal prisoners from receiving Pell Grants. The Education from the Inside Out Coalition is an organization that is advocating for the reversal of this ban. Their policy brief can be read here.

Starting a Business

We frequently receive requests for information on starting a business. NYC.gov has an entire website devoted to this, with a wealth of information on financing, obtaining permits, and more. In addition to all of the resources on their website, NYC Business Solutions has offices throughout the city where business owners can go for assistance. NYC Business Express has information on applying for permits, licenses, and certifications. In particular, there is a certification program for minority and women-owned businesses.

The U.S. Small Business Administration has a weath of resources, in particular how to devise a business plan.

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Pen Pals

There are many websites that host the profiles of inmates, allowing them to find pen pals. Unfortunately, almost all of these sites charge a fee to the inmate (and not to those who sign up to initiate contact with inmates).

Lost Vault is free for inmates. There is an application form that can be downloaded, printed, and sent to any inmate who requests a pen pal. They will need to forward this paper form to a friend or family member, who can post the ad for them and monitor the account. If the inmate has no one to do this for them, Lost Vault will place the ad themselves for a $5 fee.

Christian Pen Pals is also free for inmates. There is an online registration form as well as a paper form that can be mailed in.

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Prisoner's Rights

Prison Activist Resource Center

PARC is an activist group that maintains a list of resources for prisoners and their loved ones.

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Legal Aid

Correctional Services cannot provide legal advice, but we regularly receive letters from inmates asking for such. One invaluable resource is the Jailhouse Lawyer's Manual, published by the Columbia University Human Rights Law Review. This publication is free online and includes chapters on how to find a lawyer, how to follow grievance procedures in prison, and more. In particular, chapter 14 goes over the Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA), which any inmate should be aware of before filing a lawsuit. The ACLU also has a fact sheet about the PLRA.

If an inmate needs more help than can be provided by the JLM, the organizations listed below are well equipped to answer legal questions.

Prisoners' Legal Services of New York (PLS) is a non-profit organization that provides civil legal services to NYS prison inmates. Please note that they do not handle criminal cases or appeals.

LawHelp.org is a website with links to free legal resources for those who are low-income, searchable by state. This can be especially helpful when we receive letters from inmates in other state prison systems.

LIFT is a non-profit organization that provides to low income individuals information about the NYC family court system. Please note that they do not provide legal representation, but instead information about how to navigate one's way through the family court system, where court-appointed, i.e. free, representation is not a given. They do have a hotline, which anyone may use, as well as some multilingual resource guides.

The Legal Aid Society has Criminal, Civil, Juvenile, and Pro Bono practices, as well as a Self-Help Guide with information on housing, education, domestic violence, and more. They also have a fact sheet that lists each of their services in more detail, and includes a mailing address:

The Legal Aid Society
199 Water Street
New York, NY 10038
212-577-3300

The Legal Action Center is a non-profit legal organization that fights against discrimination against individuals with drug problems, HIV/AIDS, or a criminal history, by providing legal services and by advocating for better public policies. They also have an FAQ page that can be used to quickly determine whether or not they would be a good referral for an inmate. Their contact information is:

Legal Action Center
225 Varick Street
New York, NY 10014
Phone # (212) 243-1313
toll free 1-800-223-4044
Fax # (212) 675-0286
E-Mail: [email protected]

or:

Legal Action Center
236 Massachusetts Ave. NE, Suite 505
Washington, D.C. 20002-4980
Phone # (202) 544-5478
Fax # (202) 544-5712
E-Mail: [email protected]

We sometimes get requests for cases in which DNA evidence was used to exonerate the wrongfully convicted. The Innocence Project is an excellent source of information on this topic, and they have many cases on which they've worked listed on their website.

We also get questions about how to represent oneself in court, i.e. pro se. We cannot offer any advice on pro se litigation, however, there are many resources available that we can provide to inmates. For example, the United States District Court, Southern District of New York, like most other states, maintains a site with instructions for pro se litigants, with a disclaimer that the information provided is not a substitute for an attorney's advice. Included on the site is information on what it means to represent pro se, which forms to use, how to submit them, and more. Inmates may want to contact the Pro Se office themselves at:

United States District Court of the Southern District of New York
Pro Se Office
Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse
500 Pearl Street, Room 230
New York, New York 10007
(212) 805-0175

NB: No appointment is needed to speak with a representative of the Pro Se Office.

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Health Care and Other Benefits

The New York State Department of Health publishes a booklet called Your Rights as a Hospital Patient in New York State, which contains some useful information about how to receive adequate medical care, and, on page 5, how to submit a formal complaint to the state about negligent or fraudulent care. The booklet also includes a Patient's Bill of Rights.

The National Health Law Program is a nonprofit that is dedicated to protecting the health rights of low income individuals.

New York State's Department of Health is also a good place to find information on laws and regulations, as well as the forms needed to initiate formal complaints.

Chapters 23 and 15 of the Jailhouse Lawyer's Manual address inmate's rights to adequate medical care and how to handle negligence and malpractice within the prison system. Chapter 23 specifically notes that, before considering a malpractice suit, it is best to follow the prison's administrative grievance procedures.

The Social Security Administration produces a booklet entitled What Prisoners Need To Know, available in pdf format.

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City, State, and Other Government Agencies

NYC Department of Youth and Family Justice

As of 2010, the Department of Juvenile Justice has merged with NYC's Administration for Children Services, specifically the Department of Youth and Family Justice. Check their site for information on detention services and the Resident Advocacy Program.

New York Police Department

Precinct locations, crime statistics, etcetera.

Brooklyn District Attorney

The King County District Attorney's Office has reentry resources such as ComALERT, a program for parolees returning to Brooklyn. A unique fearure of the site is the page with links to domestic violence resources.

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Becoming a Writer and Getting Published

We receive many requests on how to become a writer and/or how to get published. PEN American Center produces the Handbook for Writers in Prison. Currently incarcerated individuals are eligible for a free copy, which can be ordered online.

This website is a bit tongue-in-cheek, but it is written by Thomas Christensen, an editor, and it provides excellent insight into print publishing.

The Literary MarketPlace is an online directory of publishers and agents in the United States, Canada, and abroad. In order to search the site, it necessary to register an account.

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Personal Copies of Books

Inmates frequently request personal copies of books that NYPL is unable to provide. Inmates should instead be directed to Books Through Bars, an organization that provides books to prisoners all over the country. The NYC chapter can be reached at:

Books Through Bars-NYC
c/o Bluestockings Bookstore
172 Allen Street
New York, NY 10002

The address for the original Philadelphia office is:

Books Through Bars
4722 Baltimore Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19143

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Publications Similar to Connections

Several other NYS counties produce publications similar to NYPL’s Connections. You will find these listed on the first few pages of Connections.

Monroe County (Rochester):

Making Moves: Handbook for Ex-Offenders Returning to the Rochester and Monroe County Area, can be requested at:

Extension Outreach Department
Monroe County Library System
115 South Avenue
Rochester, NY 14604

Buffalo and Erie Counties

Individuals may also obtain a copy of Connections: A Guide to Transitional Services in Erie County by writing to:

Buffalo & Erie County Public Library
Extension Services
1 Lafayette Square
Buffalo, NY 14203

NB: For individuals who will be paroled to Erie or Niagara County, there is a reentry service called the Erie County Reentry Program, which assigns to parolees a coordinator who will assist that individual in obtaining reentry services, such as transportation, education, and housing assistance.

Pioneer Library System:

The Pioneer Library System services Ontario/Wayne Counties and Livingston/Wyoming Counties. To obtain a copy of the
Community Connections booklet, prisoners may write to:

Outreach Department
Pioneer Library System
2557 State Route 21
Canadaigua, NY 14424

Individuals should state for which county they need a copy of the publication. Alternatively, the two different versions of
Community Connections are now available in pdf format online here.

Hudson Valley

The Hudson Valley Connections, produced by the Mid-Hudson Library System, covers Columbia, Duchess, Greene,
Putnam, and Ulster counties.

Ulster County

Coming Back to Ulster County is produced by the Restorative Justice Group of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Catskills.

Albany

The Center for Law and Justice in Albany maintains On Your Own, Information and Resources for Persons Formerly Incarcerated,
the Convicted and Their Families in the [New York State] Capital District. This publication can also be obtained by writing to:

Center for Law and Justice
Pine West Plaza no.7, Building 2
Washington Avenue Extension
Albany, NY 12205

Westchester County

Westchester Connections is frequently requested by inmates.

In addition, other states and non-profit organizations maintain lists of resources for ex-offenders as well as for those who are currently incarcerated.

Connecticut

The Connecticut Department of Corrections has a website with links to reentry resources that are specific to that state, including the United Way of Connecticut's 2-1-1 Infoline, which is a database of community resources.

American Civil Liberties Union

The ACLU, as part of their National Prison Project, produces a Prisoner's Assistance Directory, with both national and regional resources. The most recent edition is from 2012.

National Reentry Resource Center

The NRRC is a project run by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department of Justice, the Council of State Governments Justice Center, the Urban Institute, the Association of State Correctional Administrators, the American Probation and Parole Association, and others. They maintain a nationwide directory of reentry resources that is searchable by state.

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