Lived-Experience Leadership

Trains family members and formerly incarcerated individuals in advocacy and communications skills to empower them as leaders in civil rights and criminal justice reform efforts.

Hosts community organization meetings in NYC and Ithaca focused on healing, reentry support, and communications training, and co-hosts an annual block party promoting health and wellness in communities of color.

Collaborates with organizations across New York City and upstate New York to address human rights abuses in the criminal justice system and mobilize collective action.

Engages supporters in online actions such as sharing, liking, and retweeting to promote criminal justice reform and expand reach through social media platforms.

Makes newsletters publicly available and offers subscription services to share updates, news, and program information with families and supporters. Collaborated with high school students to produce a mission-promoting video.

Operates an in-house Legal Support Unit that provides legal representation and resources on issues such as medical neglect, abuse, visiting bans, and parole. Refers individuals to pro bono attorneys for human rights violations during incarceration.

Advocates for reform-based legislation including the restoration of voting rights for incarcerated people, supports Senate Bill S316 and Assembly Bill A412, and successfully campaigned for the 2021 law codifying voting rights for people on parole in New York.

Organized the 2017 March for Justice from Harlem to Albany to highlight human rights abuses in prisons and launched a petition campaign calling for the closure of Attica prison.

Distributed masks and public health information about preventing the spread of COVID-19 in New York communities.

Co-developed the Tompkins County Reentry Toolkit, a comprehensive guide with practical tips and resources to support individuals returning from incarceration.

Provides emotional, social, and financial support to families of incarcerated individuals, including counseling, resource referrals, and re-entry preparation. Offers group and individual counseling and connects families with additional services.

Held weekly virtual meetings starting June 2020 to organize advocacy around prison visitation policies and COVID-19 protections in New York State correctional facilities.

Conducts street-level voter outreach and education in New York City boroughs, including on Ranked Choice Voting, in partnership with Democracy NYC, and supports eligible individuals in exercising their voting rights.

Serves directly impacted young people—primarily Black and Latinx youth, over half of whom are girls or non-binary—through weekly remote learning pods covering leadership, financial literacy, and critiques of social systems, with participants compensated $25 per session.

Conducts sustained advocacy efforts focused on improving prison conditions, particularly around access to larger fans (advocating for increase from 6 inches to 12 inches) and addressing excessive heat in New York State prisons. Engages in outreach to lawmakers and government officials, holds weekly meetings with advocates and elected officials, collects inmate and family concerns, and runs online campaigns that have gathered 6,113 signatures across two initiatives. Also advocates for improved religious rights, kosher food access, and religious materials for Jewish inmates.

Organizes crime prevention events attended by over 2,400 people annually, including an event held in Lakewood in 2012, and hosts appreciation dinners featuring musical performances to engage the community in its mission.

Provides comprehensive support to Jewish inmates and their families, including visitation coordination (over 860 visits annually), distribution of kosher food and care packages (over $100,000 in annual support), transportation assistance via volunteer drivers, emotional and social support through a volunteer visitor network, peer mentoring for families, spiritual counseling via rabbi visits, and a pen-pal program connecting volunteers with inmates based on shared interests.

Supports criminal justice reform, including the closure of Rikers Island, bail reform, and full discovery legislation. Promotes therapeutic alternatives by advocating for the relocation of detainees with mental health and substance use conditions to medical facilities.