Correctional Library Services > Connections 2008 > Introduction

Introduction

From a world where all decisions big and small are made for you, to a world where every day offers you hundreds of different choices …

From the constant clanging of metal doors opening and shutting, keys in locks, and bells, to the sudden quiet of your own private space …

From institutional drab to a world of Technicolor …

From incarceration to freedom.

The first few weeks are the hardest – on this all former prisoners agree. The dreams and plans you've nourished inside don't quite match the realities with which you are confronted. There are questions, anxieties: Where can I get a decent job? What'll it be like living with my spouse again after so long an absence? Will my kids accept me? How easily will I be able to meet new people? Where can I go just to be left alone and sort things out? Am I strong enough to avoid being tempted by old destructive patterns?

Answers aren't easy …

One piece of advice, however, suggested by many former prisoners, never fails; and that is, proceed slowly. Take things step by step. First plan your priorities, devise a strategy, and then proceed. Don't try to accomplish everything at once. Take trying to find a place to stay, for example, or getting a job. These are top priorities for most former prisoners. Yet, given today's rental and job markets, finding your own place, or a challenging and well-paying job, may not be easy. Maybe the first job you're offered won't be the one you've had in mind, but you'll decide to take it anyway. It will help pay the rent and give you time to get established and readjust on a personal level. Later, when you're "settled in" with family and friends and have made some good contacts, that will be the time to concentrate on hunting for a better position.

The return back to society is not easy for most former prisoners, and it may require lots of patience, endurance, and self-discipline. It may take having to make numerous phone calls, for example, and spending an entire day at various agencies just to get to the person you need. But don't be discouraged. There are shortcuts.

Most important, try to get the name of a person you can contact at the agency from a group that can refer you. Referral is a service that many groups offer. You should take advantage of it, because with the enormous amount of information and the great number of groups out there, it takes real skill for someone to match your needs with the appropriate service. And when a referral person calls an agency in advance to arrange an interview for you with a contact person, lots of time and unnecessary frustration are spared.

Also, since many agencies require at least an identification card, a birth certificate, and sometimes a Social Security card, get these documents in order before you are released. Some people planning their release will be interested in writing to some of the organizations in Connections for more information and assistance. Two tips to keep in mind when writing letters to a non-profit organization or community group: tailor your request to your audience, and be concise. Instead of asking for "any information you can provide", describe what type of document, program or piece of information might meet your needs. And rather than asking for information on a long list of topics, ask the group to assist you with concerns they will recognize within their area of specialization. The more concise your letter, the easier it is for your recipient to reply - and the further you roam, the more likely the reader is going to file it in the "Do Later" box. What about finding personal support when you get out? Some people immediately upon release prefer to spend their first period of time alone. Others are anxious to seek out family and friends. Almost all ex-prisoners, however, express the importance of having a network of support – one person, or a group of people, who can offer understanding and moral encouragement. Sometimes a counselor can be of help, as can getting in touch with a former prisoners's organization and talking with a person who's been through it all, just like you, and knows how to listen and help you sort out feelings.

There will be difficulties, but remember, you are far more in control of your life now than you were before. So, take advantage. New York offers you a vast multitude of possibilities – if you take the challenge and plan carefully. There are lots of good people out there, people who can help you. We hope that this directory provides an important step toward reaching them.

About This Directory

The purpose of Connections is to help fill a need on the part of pre-release and recently released prisoners for more information on the resources available to them in New York City.

Every agency listed in Connections has been personally contacted, and information regarding it updated. Still, please be reminded that it is the nature of all directories that they begin to become outdated as soon as they are published.

Connections contains, of course, only a selective listing of resources available in New York City. We hope, however, that it will encourage you to explore further, and that it will make you aware of possibilities you might otherwise have overlooked. Few prisoners we've talked with, for example, were aware that their public library could offer them valuable help in finding a job, selecting appropriate back-to-school programs, or opening an e-mail account. All services are free and provided by specially trained staff. All the agencies listed in Connections offer their services free to residents of any of the five boroughs, unless otherwise indicated.

Connections includes many online (Internet) resources. Access to the Internet is available at all three of New York City's public library systems. In fact, there are free courses throughout the public libraries on Internet use (offered in English and Spanish), as well as courses on Job Searching and Health Information on the Internet. Being comfortable using online resources is becoming more important with every passing year for those seeking job, housing, agency or government information.

The Job Search follows this year's edition of Connections. It is a guide for former prisoners to the various steps involved in hunting for work. It discusses not only such issues as job interviewing and resume writing, but also such important questions as what you can do before leaving prison, how to avoid job discrimination as a formerly incarcerated individual, and telling the truth about your conviction(s) on a job application.

Connections can now be found online at www.nypl.org/branch/services/connections. The Spanish language edition, Conexiones, is online at www.nypl.org/branch/services/conexiones.

Many persons have written asking for publications similar to Connections that might cover areas of New York State outside of New York City. We know of seven other guides at this time:

Making Moves: Handbook for Ex-Offenders Returning to the Rochester and Monroe County Area, can be obtained by writing to: Extension Outreach Department, Monroe County Library System, 115 South Avenue, Rochester, NY 14604.

For Connections: A Guide to Transitional Services in Erie County write to the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, Extension Services, 1 Lafayette Square, Buffalo, NY 14203.

The Pioneer Library System publishes two Community Connections booklets, one for Ontario/Wayne Counties and the other for Livingston/Wyoming Counties. Write the Outreach Department, Pioneer Library System, 2557 State Route 21, Canandaigua, NY 14424, specifying which county you are returning to.

The Mid-Hudson Library System has produced a Hudson Valley Connections for Columbia, Duchess, Greene, Putnam and Ulster Counties. Write to the Outreach Department, Mid-Hudson Library System, 103 Market Street, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601. A guide just for Ulster, Coming Back to Ulster County, is maintained by the Restorative Justice Group of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Catskills, 320 Sawkill Road, Kintson, NY 12401. It is also available on the Internet at www.uucckingston.org/comingback.html.

On Your Own, Information and Resources for Persons Formerly Incarcerated, the Convicted and Their Families in the [New York State] Capital District, is produced by the Center for Law and Justice in Albany. Copies are available by writing to: Center for Law and Justice, Pine West Plaza no. 7, Building 2, Washington Avenue Extension, Albany, NY 12205.

Westchester Connections, produced by the Westchester Council on Crime and Delinquency, is available on the World Wide Web only, at www.wccdinc.net.

Acknowledgments

Connections and The Job Search was written by Stephan Likosky, former Correctional Services Librarian (Retired) for The New York Public Library. It was updated by James Huffman, Jr., current Correctional Services Librarian, and the 2008 update team: Kim Throm, Michelle Karell, Elizabeth Waters, Sara Saperstone, Caitlin Q.Bernstein and Narita Maraj. The design and typography was created by Kara Van Woerden. Special thanks also to Tina Hoerenz (Graphics Office), and Karen Van Westering and Barbara Bergeron (Publica-tions Office), for their fine work in producing the booklet. Alejandrina Manso, Mariah Willis and Ivette Gonzalez were responsible for its distribution.

Funding for Connections and The Job Search was derived from grants to serve City/County and State Correctional Facilities from the New York State Education Department, Division of Library Development. The cover art of Connections is by Guillermo Escudero. Mr. Escudero has dedicated much of his creative energy to his art, and has volunteered his help to other artists in exhibiting their work in the branches of The New York Public Library. Mr. Escudero has also served as the Technical Director of the Thalia Spanish Theater in Queens, where he designed lights and constructed sets for the productions and plays. He currently resides in Arizona.

"Through my art, I am able to express my own world of fantasy and feelings. In this particular painting, the flower symbolizes life and its energy, the people like plants emerging and dancing to the rhythm of nature, in complete harmony."

The illustration work in The Job Search was drawn by Drew Hodges, a graduate of the School of Visual Arts.

We would like to thank all of the many individuals who have written to us in response to Connections 2008. Their comments were very encouraging and their corrections useful, and many of the suggestions we received from them have been incorporated into the present edition. We would also be interested in hearing your reactions to Connections 2008 and The Job Search. Write to: Correctional Library Services, The New York Public Library, 455 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016. If you would like additional copies of the booklet, please write to this address.

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