Podcasts about correctional association

Prison reform is back in the headlines in New York State, following a massive strike by corrections officers. The wildcat strike began on February 17, with thousands of corrections officers at more than forty state prisons walking off the job. Officers protested working conditions for nearly a month before more than 2,000 were fired for not returning to work. As reported by Capitol News Bureau reporter Jeongyoon Han, the strike exacerbated staffing shortages in prisons and has ignited debate over the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement — or HALT — Act. Governor Kathy Hochul has proposed new reforms; the ideas have been met with mixed reviews. This hour, we explore the state of prison reform in New York. Our guests: Jeongyoon Han, Capitol News Bureau reporter for the New York Public News Network Jennifer Scaife, executive director of the Correctional Association of New York  Michael Stamp, corrections officer 

Jan. 14, 2024 - Correctional Association of New York Executive Director Jennifer Scaife addresses prison administration changes proposed by Gov. Kathy Hochul and outlines reforms identified by her group.

Review addressed violence, health care, conditions An independent report on conditions in 2023 at the Fishkill Correctional Facility, a medium-security men's prison that straddles Beacon and Fishkill, documented sometimes contradictory accounts of staff interactions and violence. The 64-page report was issued on May 8 by the Correctional Association of New York, about 10 months after an inspection at the facility. State law requires CANY to visit and evaluate each of New York's 44 prisons every five years; the agency last visited Fishkill in 2020. (Fishkill Correctional is one of two state prisons near Beacon. The other, the Downstate Correctional Facility, closed in 2022.) During the two-day evaluation, which took place in July, a team of 11 CANY representatives met with state prison officials and medical and mental health staff. The CANY team observed housing facilities, the work-release unit, regional medical unit and other parts of the prison. Members of the union that represents prison staff declined to speak with CANY. Based on a survey of 109 prisoners (of the 1,372 then incarcerated), CANY concluded that prisoners were "generally satisfied with access to medical care." However, many inmates believed that the care they received was substandard. They also indicated that prison officials were slow to respond to sick calls or to arrange specialty care. The inmates noted a shortage of nurses for emergencies, which prison officials conceded, saying Fishkill was short 50 percent of its nursing staff. At the time of the visit, the prison was down 100 staff members overall. CANY said those staffing needs matched data reported by the state in January 2023, suggesting many of the open positions had been unfilled for at least six months. Regarding mental health care, prisoners in specialized units gave "mostly positive reviews" of the staff and programs, according to the report, while the general population wanted more mental health support. Sumeet Sharma, a CANY director, said Wednesday (May 29) that the team observed high temperatures throughout the facility and noted that the exterior windows in cells were closed. The superintendent later said that the windows had been opened, according to the report, but the ventilation system in some housing units recirculates air, "which means that on a hot day, the air blowing through the vents is hot." A major concern for the team, Sharma said, was access to health care, especially since Fishkill has a regional medical unit that provides care for chronically or terminally ill inmates. He said lawmakers are considering a bill to give the state Department of Health oversight over medical care in prisons. The inmates surveyed by CANY reported mixed experiences with Fishkill's 850 security officers. Those in the general prison population generally described a positive culture with effective communication, but others reported assaults by staff and the need for security cameras. The prison launched a pilot program for officer-worn body cameras in 2021 and 2022 but CANY was told the devices "stopped working." The report said plans to install fixed cameras and experiment again with body cameras are in place, but there is no timeline for either. Sixty-one percent of the prisoners surveyed said they had seen or experienced verbal, physical or sexual abuse by staff members. CANY said that "unusual incident" data showed that Fishkill had higher rates than the state prison system at large of assaults, both on staff and prisoners, and staff use of force, particularly the use of a chemical irritant (see above). And while only 20 percent of the inmates considered the grievance process "fair," 44 percent - a higher rate than at other medium-security prisons - said the same of the disciplinary system. Sharma acknowledged the challenges the CANY team faced in writing its report. He said the association sometimes received conflicting accounts through "administrative data" provided by the state on the frequ...

October 11, 2023 - Jennifer Scaife, executive director of the Correctional Association of New York, shares concerns with the internal grievance process used by incarcerated New Yorkers.

This week I was a presenter at the Missouri Correctional Association's (MCA) Fall Conference at the Lake of the Ozarks, MO.  We had a great time as I talked about Leadership - It's Your Journey and Staying Positive in a Negative Environment.  After the classes, I was able to set up the podcast remotely and do several interviews with MCA members at the conference while they were in between classes and activities.  What a wealth of correctional knowledge.  Check out these interviews:MCA Treasurer Adam Barker - Tipton Correctional Center - Institutional Training CoordinatorMPPOA President CarolLyree Price - District EP Unit SupervisorWarden Brock VanLoo - Tipton Correctional Center - WardenWilliam Baumbach - Women's Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center - Correctional Officer IIJazmyn Shockley - University of Central Missouri - Student - Criminal Justice MajorMissouri Correctional AssociationMissouri Probation and Parole Officers AssociationIf you would like Michael to speak at your training or conference e-mail: mike@theprisonofficer.com or Michael Cantrell on SpeakerHubAfter the Staying Positive in a Negative Environment class, many of you asked about my book, you can purchase a copy here: Finding Your Purpose: Crafting a Personal Vision Statement to Guide Your Life and Career! PepperBall From crowd control to cell extractions, the PepperBall system is the safe, non-lethal option.OMNI OMNI is cutting-edge software designed to track inmates and assets within your prison or jail. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the showContact us: mike@theprisonofficer.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThePrisonOfficerTake care of each other and Be Safe behind those walls and fences!

Aug. 9, 2022 - In the wake of a monitoring visit to Sing Sing Correctional Facility this year, the Correctional Association of New York has a new report on how the state prison system can be improved. The group's vice chair, Rev. Stephen Phelps, explains what they found and outlines the latest recommendations.

Jailhouse lawyers are inmates who help other inmates with legal filings while in prison. They handle matters from divorce to criminal appeals to claims against prison officials. They write motions and briefs and counsel clients; short of court representation, they provide the range of legal services that a licensed lawyer would. While the Supreme Court has recognized the importance of jailhouse lawyers in prisons where access to the courts is limited, jailhouse lawyers still operate in a legal gray area in many jurisdictions. Phillip Miller, a former jailhouse lawyer and the former Associate Director of Policy at the Correctional Association of NY explains how jailhouse lawyering works in practice and the crucial role that jailhouse lawyers play in the American penal system.

Dec. 29, 2021 - Correctional Association of New York Executive Director Jennifer Scaife reviews the state prison system's performance during the pandemic, including a look at the preventative measures taken and efforts to vaccinate incarcerated New Yorkers.

On this episode, part two of a two part interview, Mamyrah Prosper discusses the aftermath of the assassination of Haitian president Jovenel Moïse, as well as grassroots responses. This interview was recorded just days before the recent earthquake added to the turmoil in Haiti.Mamyrah Prosper is International Coordinator for Community Movement Builders, and Assistant Professor of Global and International Studies at UC Irvine. She immigrated to the U.S. from Haiti at age 15, leaving her parents behind, and moved in with her sister's family in New Jersey. Following a family tradition of activism for social justice – her father was a human and labor rights activist – she champions causes including women's rights, affordable housing and land rights. Her doctoral dissertation focuses on the Haitian Platform for Advocacy for an Alternative Development, a central social movement for social justice in Haiti.Outside of the classroom, Mamyrah has volunteered at Take Back the Land, the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, and the Correctional Association of New York. During her time at FIU, she helped organize two conferences on Afro-Latino social movements and feminist reimaginings of the nation that involved academics, students, activists and performing artists. She also served as a teaching assistant and lecturer. Mamyrah has authored and co-authored dozens of peer-reviewed book chapters, peer-reviewed journal articles, book reviews and encyclopedia entries.See more of the work of host Max Rameau at pacapower.org. Stay subscribed to The Next World for more news from the frontlines of movements for justice and liberation. You can read more about the issues we explore on our podcast and much more at dignityandrights.org, the website of Partners for Dignity & Rights.Support the show (https://dignityandrights.org/donate/)

On this episode, part one of a two part interview, Mamyrah Prosper discusses her personal history as the daughter of a political prisoner in Haiti through her movement activism and work as a scholar, as well as recent Haitian political history, from the Duvaliers through Jovenel Moïse. Stay tuned for part two, as we discuss the assassination of Moïse and the aftermath, as well as grassroots responses.Mamyrah Prosper is International Coordinator for Community Movement Builders, and Assistant Professor of Global and International Studies at UC Irvine. She immigrated to the U.S. from Haiti at age 15, leaving her parents behind, and moved in with her sister's family in New Jersey. Following a family tradition of activism for social justice – her father was a human and labor rights activist – she champions causes including women's rights, affordable housing and land rights. Her doctoral dissertation focuses on the Haitian Platform for Advocacy for an Alternative Development, a central social movement for social justice in Haiti.Outside of the classroom, Mamyrah has volunteered at Take Back the Land, the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, and the Correctional Association of New York. During her time at FIU, she helped organize two conferences on Afro-Latino social movements and feminist reimaginings of the nation that involved academics, students, activists and performing artists. She also served as a teaching assistant and lecturer. Mamyrah has authored and co-authored dozens of peer-reviewed book chapters, peer-reviewed journal articles, book reviews and encyclopedia entries.See more of the work of host Max Rameau at pacapower.org. Stay subscribed to The Next World for more news from the frontlines of movements for justice and liberation. You can read more about the issues we explore on our podcast and much more at dignityandrights.org, the website of Partners for Dignity & Rights.Please subscribe, spread the word, and support the show.Support the show (https://dignityandrights.org/donate/)

Soffiyah Elijah is an advocate, attorney, scholar, and educator, and the executive director of the Correctional Association of New York. Prior to joining the Correctional Association, Elijah served as deputy director and a clinical instructor at the Criminal Justice Institute at Harvard Law School.Subscribe also to iMWiL!https://imixwhatilike.orgFULL STATEMENT OF THE FREEDOM CAMPAIGN FOR SUNDIATA ACOLINew York, NY (January 13, 2021) - A former employee of NASA and a civil rights era Freedom Rider, Sundiata Acoli turns 84 on January 14. The college graduate and grandfather of two has been incarcerated for over forty-seven years. Acoli has been consistently denied parole for more than twenty-five of those years, going all the way back to 1994.The Sundiata Acoli Freedom Campaign (SAFC) is the largest coordinated campaign to free Acoli since his incarceration and follows years of behind the scenes advocacy and legal filings. The campaign will use the hashtag #BringSundiataHome and kicks off this week. There are media appearances planned throughout the week as well as a major social media push on Thursday where individuals, advocates and other organizations and religious institutions will join in the wishes of love and support for the soon to be 84 year old.Following his conviction in the murder of New Jersy State Trooper Werner Foerester in 1973, Acoli was sentenced to life. In the Garden State, those convicted and sentenced to life are eligible for parole after twenty-five years.“Sundiata Acoli has had a near perfect disciplinary record for 40 years, with no violations of any kind for the past twenty-five years,” explains Acoli's attorney, Bruce I. Afran. “I have come to know Mr. Acoli well over the past nine years. He has emerged into a useful, law abiding and productive member of the community, albeit while incarcerated. He has evolved so far in his life and thought that he has been approved to teach the Federal Bureau of Prisons's course in Avoiding Criminal Thinking, the program to teach younger inmates how to avoid recidivism.”Sundiata's health is deteriorating in his late stage of life and is now being treated for advancing dementia, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, emphysema and glaucoma. The frail senior citizen also lost 30 pounds during a long battle with the Covid-19 virus; he was one of those blessed to survive the health scare. He should be released before his health is further compromised.Nearly fifty religious leaders across New Jersey said the following in a joint statement to New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy last June when asking for a commutation of Acoli's sentence: “Mr. Acoli had to be rushed to a hospital in Maryland when he fell ill from the COVID19 virus. For several days he was maintained on oxygen,” says the group of faith leaders across multiple denominations and thirty-nine religious institutions. “Recently, he was bedridden for a week due to intestinal complications. For all of the reasons stated above, we unconditionally call upon you to release Mr. Acoli from prison immediately. When he is released, we pledge to support you and champion your just and humane decision,” the statement concludes.“As his daughter, I can say that the Sundiata Acoli Freedom Campaign means so much to me and our entire family,” says Sunni Middleton, an executive in finance. “The death of officer Foerester was a tragic event and we grieve for that loss and pray for the healing of all families involved. My dad is in his twilight years and he has paid for that terrible incident while showing us how to be accountable for one's actions.Our family is so grateful for this outpouring of support from members of the community and the Freedom Campaign,” adds Middleton. “It gives us the strength, and faith, to see this through and to know that our prayers may one day be answered and my father will be in his family's care to live out the remaining years of his life.”The Freedom CampaignThe Sundiata Acoli Freedom Campaign (SAFC) kicks off this week with the following activities:Thursday, January 14thSundiata Acoli birthday letter writing campaign● The letter writing campaign started at the turn of the new year and will culminate on his birthday, January 14.Saturday, January 16th12:00 P.M.The People Are Suffering: Martin Luther King March For Racial And Economic Justice Location:​ Lincoln Statue12 Springfield Avenue(Intersection of Springfield Avenue and West Market Street)Newark, NJ 07102 ● The SAFC will participate in this MLK march carrying signs to #BringSundiataHome. They will also hand out informational flyers to spread the word in the Black and Brown community as the group begins its public outreach around this case.For more information visit our ​Facebook page​ or email ​Sundiataacolifc@gmail.com​.Media Contact:Scott McDowellCommunications Director Sundiata Acoli Freedom Campaign scottmcdowellny@gmail.com Mobile: 929-351-5887 ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

What does prison oversight look like in New York State? Phillip Miller, the associate director of policy at the Correctional Association of New York speaks about a bill that he and a team of other policymakers crafted, which aims at enhancing accountability and transparency within correctional facilities that are overseen by the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.

It's The Alchemist's birthday, but thanks to the NYPD's "Rap Intelligence Unit," he and Prodigy are forced to celebrate in a jail cell, and soon after, P is headed upstate. But even Prodigy says prison changed him for the better.   Explore More: ... Dennis Kozlowski, the Tyco CEO who was incarcerated with Prodigy, is now the Chairman of the Board of the Fortune Society. This group works to help incarcerated individuals resume day to day life once they’re out. Check them out. ... People who oversee New York’s prisons think they know why healthcare inside may be subpar: there aren’t enough caregivers. Jack Beck, a representative from the Correctional Association of New York, which helps oversee the prisons, testified in 2017 that many prison healthcare jobs were vacant.   ... Being incarcerated didn’t stop Prodigy from making music. This song was recorded while P was inside. In it, he gives a shout out to King Benny, who visited him every weekend.     LANGUAGE WARNING: The Realness contains strong language that some listeners may find offensive.  WNYC’s health coverage and The Realness by Only Human is supported in part by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Jane and Gerald Katcher and the Katcher Family Foundation, Science Sandbox, an initiative of the Simons Foundation, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.  Audio of Prodigy on Questlove Supreme is provided by Pandora, which also has a recording of Mobb Deep's classic hit "Shook Ones (Part II)" performed by Nas. Additional audio of Prodigy provided from the audio book of My Infamous Life by Albert "Prodigy" Johnson.

Nikkie is the daughter of Greek immigrants. She fell in love with a fellow Greek-American man who admitted his violent past just before their wedding night. They were so deeply in love she took a chance. His abuse worsened and Nikkie’s life had become a nightmare, which led to the traumatic event that would send her to prison for 23 years. According to the Correctional Association of New York, 82% of incarcerated women are survivors of serious sexual and physical abuse before their time in prison. Domestic violence is intimate and terrifying and too often shamed and silenced. When we speak about her abuser, I notice that Nikkie often speaks in present tense, a subconscious shift to the immediacy and urgency and danger of their relationship.

In this episode I discuss the Erie Doctrine with Michael Mushlin, Professor of Law at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law. Professor Mushlin walks me through "the house of Erie" and explains the steps in analyzing an Erie Problem that students might see in an exam. Its a fun conversation, and one that helped me understand and appreciate Erie in a way I hadn't before. Professor Michael B. Mushlin teaches Civil Procedure, Evidence, and Prisoners' Rights at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University. He is the author of book chapters and articles on a variety of subjects involving evidence, federal jurisdiction, civil procedure, children's rights, and prisoners' rights that have appeared in journals such as the Yale Law and Policy Review, UCLA Law Review, Harvard Civil Rights Civil Liberties Law Review, The Journal of Legal Education, and the Brooklyn Law Review. He also is the author of RIGHTS OF PRISONERS (4th ed West) a four volume comprehensive treatise on the law regarding prisoners' rights and NEW YORK EVIDENCE WITH OBJECTIONS (4th ed National Institute of Trial Advocacy 2013) (with Jo Ann Harris). Professor Mushlin was selected to be a member of the Executive Committee of the New York City Bar and was elected Secretary of the Executive Committee. He is Vice Chair of the Correctional Association of New York and was a member of the Task Force on the Legal Status of Prisoners of the American Bar Association. He served as co-chair of the Subcommittee on Implementation of the ABA Resolution on Prison Oversight. He is a member of the New York Advisory Committee on Criminal Law and Procedure of the Office of Court Administration. He is the former Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Chair of the Committee on Corrections of the New York City Bar, and former Chair of the Board of the Correctional Association and the Osborne Association. He is a member of the Editorial Board of the Correctional Law Reporter. Professor Mushlin also served on the boards of Children's Rights Inc. and Pace Law School's John Jay Legal Services Inc. Professor Mushlin has spoken widely on a variety of topics. He was honored by a Resolution of the Texas House of Representatives for his work together with Prof. Michele Deitch in organizing a national conference that focused on the oversight of U.S. prisons and jails. The resolution commended him and Prof. Deitch for stimulating dialogue and debate that would “lead to significant reforms within the U.S. criminal justice system.” Professor Mushlin was appointed Charles A. Frueauff Research Professor of Law during the 1991-1992 academic year, and James D. Hopkins Chair in Law during the 2005-2007 academic years at Pace Law School. He received his J.D. cum laude, from Northwestern University School of Law. Professor Mushlin practiced as a public interest and civil rights lawyer for 15 years as staff attorney with Harlem Assertion of Rights, Inc., as staff attorney and Project Director of the Prisoners' Rights Project of the Legal Aid Society, and as Associate Director of the Children's Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union. As always, if you have any suggestions for an episode topic, please let us know! You can email us at leslie@lawtofact.com or tweet to @lawtofact. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Instagram (@lawtofact) and to like us on Facebook! And finally, your ratings and reviews matter! Please leave us a review on iTunes.Want to stay updated on all things Law to Fact? Join our mailing list by visiting us at www.lawtofact.com&l

Join Edward-Yemíl Rosario(Eddie), the former Associate director for the Correctional Association's Prison as we discuss prison reform, the book, The New Jim Crow and the new special prosecutor appointed by Governor Cuomo today in New York. His role is to investigate civilian deaths by officers. It comes after a push for more transparency in the death of Eric Garner. It comes after a push for more transparency in the death of Eric Garner. Cuomo explained his decision and also addressed his ongoing feud with the Mayor Bill de Blasio in a phone interview Thursday morning. Watch the interview here: http://pix11.com/ Edward-Yemíl Rosario(Eddie), Was recently an Associate director for the Correctional Association's Prison visiting project and before that, the project director for the Fifth Avenue Committee's Developing Justice project. Eddie holds a BS degree in Applied Psychology from New York University and attended Columbia University's School of Social Work. Deeply interested in understanding the mechanisms that assist people in effecting lasting change, Eddie views the synergy between knowledge and action as crucial to human development. Mr. Rosario's own experiences as a formerly incarcerated person have contributed to his passion for changing criminal justice policies and helping people move their lives in a positive direction and explore opportunities that would otherwise be closed to them. A mere 2% (3,125) of the Counties in the United States are responsible for 50% of the executions and death penalty sentencing .      

Sixteen and seventeen year old New Yorker's can't vote, buy tobacco or even rent a car. But they are tried as adults in New York's Criminal Justice System. This makes the Empire State and North Carolina the only two states to do so. On today's show we will talk to members of a coalition that is working to keep teens out of the adult justice system. We will also hear from Fordham Professor Keith Cruise, who studies the mental and physical toll of teens who are tried as adults. But first we will talk to the Director and Campaign Manager of the Juvenile Justice Project at the Correctional Association of New York-- Gabrielle Horowitz- Prisco and Angelo Pinto. They are part of a coalition that is trying to raise the age. 

In New York, more than 54,000 people are in prison at a cost of $60,000/year/inmate under 40 and $240,000/year/inmate over 40 due to increased health issues. Soffiyah Elijah, Correctional Association, talks about If the Risk is Low, Let Them Go! campaign.

The Center for New York City Affairs hosted a forum on February 2 to review the connection between child welfare and juvenile justice in New York City and the state. The event, entitled “Ties That Bind: Reimagining juvenile justice and child welfare for teens, families and communities,” was intended to coincide with the implementation of key new initiatives that would bring the administration of the intertwined child welfare, juvenile justice and foster care services under New York City jurisdiction.  Participants included Ron Richter, the Commissioner for the New York City Administration for Children’s Services; Deputy Commissioner Larry Bushing; Gabrielle Prisco, Director of the Juvenile Justice Project, the Correctional Association of New York; Mike Arsham, Executive Director, Child Welfare Organizing Project; and Angela Watson, Program Director, Juvenile Justice Initiative, SCO Family of Services in Brooklyn. The forum was moderated by Andrew White, the Director of the New School’s Center for New York City Affairs. As the speakers and panelists at the New School’s Theresa Lang Community and Student Center noted, historically, both foster placements and detention often take at-risk teens far from their families and communities, thereby making care and counseling modalities even more difficult and frustrating for those in the system. Childcare advocates also call for more involvement by parents, community representatives and non-profits in instituting programs and reforms. The two-hour forum discussed and debated the issues surrounding Governor Andrew Cuomo’s ”Juvenile Justice Services Close to Home Initiative”; the strategic plan for New York City’s Child Services Administration; and the fundamental approach to treating troubled juveniles in a way likely to produce positive outcomes.  While there was some disagreement among the group, all seemed to agree on two underlying premises: if child welfare services can be made more effective, there is a greater chance of keeping at-risk teens out of the juvenile justice system (i.e., of having them classified as actual offenders, and often incarcerated in some way), and programs that keep children closer to home are likely to be more successful. Bon Mots: Andrew White’s thought-provoking headcount: “We recently calculated that more than one-tenth of the city’s school-age children — more than 100,000 children — come into contact with either child welfare or juvenile justice services every year in New York City.” Commissioner Ron Richter on his belief in hands-on “kitchen table” social workers: “This is not a long-term intervention. They come in, like a tornado, if you will, and they help the parent get control.”  Mike Arsham on the strength of communities: “I’ve come to believe … that there is great strength and wisdom and compassion even — and maybe especially — in the most economically stressed New York City communities.” Gabrielle Prisco on striking while the iron is hot: “We have a moment where we have political attention, we have money, we have momentum, and we have people of good will.” Listen to the complete forum at the link above. During the forum, Commissioner Richter showed a number of slides featuring statistical data from the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS); the data from which these were derived can be viewed on the ACS web site.

Bob Gangi, president of the Correctional Association of New York, talked about his efforts to register thousands of ex-prisoners who may not know they have the right to vote.

Ronnie is joined by Robert Gangi, Executive Director of The Correctional Association of New York. Mr. Gangi talks about the vision of The Correctional Association, and shares how his organization aids the sizable prison population in New York State.