Yesterday afternoon I attended a wonderful
Lunch & Learn event at Elmendorf Church here in Harlem. The event arose out
of our work with the Interfaith Center of New York funded by the J.C Flower’sFoundation; we call it Reentry Circles of Support. The approach is simple: activate
the family and faith community volunteers to support young men returning from
prison. We embarked on this work with our partners because of the challenges
young men of color face as a result of mass incarceration. Consider the following.
In 2012, 3,140 individuals were released
from prison and returned to community supervision (parole) in Manhattan, the highest
number of any county in New York State. Younger parolees are less successful in
the community and more likely to be returned to prison. The population of former
persons on parole in New York State prisons is younger than the general inmate
population, 30 vs. 32 years old on average, and half of all parolees that were
admitted to NYS prisons are under the age of 30. Nationally, half of all first
admission to prisons occurs between the ages of 18 and 24. When young men of
color return from prison to Harlem they face high rates of unemployment, crushing
poverty, and the stigma associated with a felony conviction. An analysis by our partner organization, the Center for Court Innovation, found that within one year of release from prison, 37% of
Manhattan parolees under supervision between 2001 and 2007 were arrested for a
new offense, and 29% were convicted.
The Reentry Circles of Support initiative use evidence-based
practices, family involvement and a “ministry of presence” approach provided by
a diverse group of committed faith based volunteers to try and change the
culture of parole reporting. Reverend Ferguson and his colleagues at the Interfaith
Center of New York recruit congregations to serving as “places of welcome” for
men and women coming home from prison and their families. Each Thursday at our
Parole Reentry Court hearings Interfaith Center staff and religious volunteers
are in the court house serving refreshments to the parolees while offering them
encouragement and support.
The Lunch & Learn events are the
brainchild of Reverend Ferguson. They began as a monthly opportunity to bring
together our parole clients, staff, and parole officers, to break bread and
hear inspirational talks from local leaders in the reentry community. Yesterday’s
event was special because Reverend Ferguson has accepted a position working
with the Osborne Association in their fatherhood initiative and will be leaving
our team. As you can see in the picture above, it is hard to tell who is a
parolee, parole officer, court administrator or social worker. It is a sign, I believe,
of how we are changing the culture of parole though a climate of accountability,
respect and support for everyone involved in the reentry process. I leave off
with a quote from Reverend Ferguson for those of us laboring to make a difference:
“You are a miracle. You were
born with a promise that you can accomplish anything.”
By Christopher Watler, Project Director of the Harlem Community Justice Center
