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Institute Intelligence
Insights, case studies, news, and updates from ISLG’s good governance research and action.
Drive Change: Building a More Just Hospitality Sector
Based in Brooklyn, Drive Change is connecting system-involved young people with career pathways in the food industry, while also seeking to change how that industry operates, representing a step forward and a model for the field.
Empowering Women to Reach Career & Education Goals After Incarceration
College and Community Fellowship’s (CCF) Build-Out of Students Services (BOSS) project provided formerly incarcerated women in New York City with educational and employment services to help them overcome financial and, for some, caregiving obstacles.
Pell Grants for Incarcerated Students are Only the First Step: Remaining Gaps & Recommendations for Uplifting System-Involved Students
For reentering individuals, the financial burden of pursuing and completing higher education programs begun in prison can be substantial and prohibitive. When surveyed, CIP students (N=114) identified several financial challenges that they anticipated would interfere with returning to school in the community.
Equitable Prison Education Begins with In-Person Instruction
Like other institutions of higher education, College-in-Prison Reentry Initiative (CIP) education providers were faced with shifting from in-person to fully remote coursework with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Although grateful for the opportunity to continue classes, students and faculty alike described remote coursework as inferior to in-person instruction.
Sharing Knowledge to Support the Community: How Learning Communities Support Trauma-Informed Programs
In East Harlem, the Center for Trauma Innovation is building a learning community so organizations can exchange innovative practices, learn from each other, and tap into each others’ resources to better serve their community with trauma-informed, evidence-based practices.
College in Prison 101: Recommendations on Developing & Implementing Meaningful Higher Education for Incarcerated Students
After conducting a multiyear evaluation of the College-in-Prison Reentry Initiative (CIP), we outline recommendations for educational providers, corrections, and other stakeholders to consider how best to prepare for and carry out their missions to provide high-quality postsecondary education to students who are incarcerated.
The College-in-Prison Reentry Initiative: Expanding Access to Degree Pathways and Post-Release Employment
in 2017, the Criminal Justice Investment Initiative (CJII) created the College-in-Prison Reentry Initiative (CIP) to expand access to postsecondary programs across NYS. CIP invested $7.3 million in postsecondary education in NYS correctional settings, ultimately serving 931 students through seven higher education institutions in 17 prisons statewide.
Providing Youth Aging out of Foster Care with Essential Support & Services in New York City
Over the years, initiatives across NYC have worked to lower the number of youth aging out of foster care without permanent living arrangements, and to provide additional support to those who do. Through our partnership with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, the Criminal Justice Investment Initiative (CJII) began funding two local programs to support foster youth transitioning to adulthood in 2018.
The NYC Health Justice Network: Supporting Health and Reentry Success
The findings highlight the spectrum of service needs indicated by NYC HJN clients and the role of community health workers in helping these individuals navigate the reentry process, address critical needs, and avoid future criminal legal system involvement.
How Does College in Prison Impact Safety and Employment in New York State?
Participation in CIP significantly reduced the risk of reconviction for a new offense following release by two thirds, or 66 percent. Specifically, students who participated in CIP had lower risk of reconviction following release at both six months and 12 months.
Promoting Healing and Strengthening Relationships within the West Harlem Community: The Role of Credible Messengers
The West Harlem Community Reentry and Restoration Project aimed to support community members who have recently returned, or are soon to return, from incarceration and strengthen the capacity for local community-based organizations to provide services and support violence prevention.
Using Evidence-Based Assessments to Understand Trauma and Healing among Gender-Based Violence Survivors
An innovative assessment approach successfully measures trauma and healing among families impacted by gender-based violence. Administered by a holistic and innovative program in Manhattan that provides family-focused programming, the approach helped participants better understand their healing journeys.