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The Reentry Council
Reducing Barriers for New Yorkers with Criminal Convictions
Individuals with criminal convictions continue to face significant economic and social barriers to their successful reintegration into society. On average, New York State releases more than 25,000 people from prison each year and research shows that without successful re-entry policies, there is a higher rate of re-convictions.
More broadly, one in three Americans has some form of a criminal background, which poses challenges to gaining employment, finding housing, and participating in the world around them.
History
In July 2014, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced the formation of the New York State Council on Community Re-Entry and Reintegration to identify and alleviate obstacles that individuals with criminal convictions face upon re-entering society in New York. The Re-Entry Council, made up of leaders of reentry organizations, District Attorneys and defender organizations, leaders from academia and the private sector, and formerly incarcerated individuals, promotes problem-solving and collaboration in reducing barriers affecting people with criminal convictions. The Council makes recommendations for policy, regulatory and legislative change. Since 2014, the Governor has accepted several of the Council’s recommendations. Here are some highlights that show how these changes have affected New Yorkers.
The Council on Community Re-Entry and Reintegration consists of the following members:
Rossana Rosado, New York Secretary of State (Co-Chair)
Joseph Popcun, Executive Director
Megan Meyers, Program Associate
David Condliffe, Center for Community Alternatives, Executive Director
Khalil Cumberbatch, New Yorkers United for Justice, Chief Strategist
Soffiyah Elijah, Alliance of Families for Justice, Executive Director
John Flynn, Erie County District Attorney
Elizabeth Gaynes, The Osborne Association, President and CEO
Jamie Ginott
Ann Jacobs, Prisoner Reentry Initiative at John Jay College, Director
Rick Jones, Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, Executive Director
Max Kenner, Bard Prison Initiative, Executive Director
Georgia Lerner, Women’s Prison Association, Executive Director
George McDonald, DOE Fund, Founder and President
Brenda McDuffie, Buffalo Urban League, President and CEO
Julio Medina, Exodus Transitional Community
Sean Pica, Hudson Link, Executive Director
JoAnne Page, The Fortune Society, President and CEO
Chauncey Parker, Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, Executive Assistant District Attorney and Special Policy Advisor
Jessica Roth, Cardozo School of Law, Professor
Paul Samuels, Legal Action Center, Director and President
Sam Schaeffer, Center for Employment Opportunities, CEO
Danielle Sered, Common Justice, Executive Director
William Simmons, Syracuse Housing Authority, Director
Madeline Singas, Nassau County District Attorney
John Valverde, YouthBuild USA, CEO
Christopher Watler, Center for Employment Opportunities, New York Executive Director
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