LIBERAL ARTS COURSES AND RESOURCES FOR INCARCERATED STUDENTS ON LONG ISLAND
Reversing the Prison Pipeline
Transforming lives, families, and communities. Sound Justice Initiative is blazing a new trail for justice involved people in our local jails and re-entry by reversing the pipeline from school-to-prison to court-campus-career.
SOUND JUSTICE INITIATIVE
Jail Education Program
We provide adults and young adults in county jails college and employment preparation courses.
WHAT WE OFFER
(SJI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to ensuring educational continuity for justice-involved individuals in Suffolk jails and throughout reentry.
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PHILOSOPHY
At Sound Justice Initiative, we believe that education has the power to transform lives. We are committed to breaking down barriers and empowering justice-involved individuals with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to create a brighter future for themselves and their communities.
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WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT?
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We focus on justice-involved individuals within county jails, recognizing the unique challenges they face in short-term correctional facilities that traditionally lack consistent college-level educational programs. We also assist in the completion of college, financial aid, and employment applications, and more.
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93%
LIBERAL ARTS DEVELOP A STRONG SENSE OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND A BROAD RANGE OF SOFT SKILLS THAT 93% OF EMPLOYERS AGREE ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN HARD SKILLS.
-THE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
HOW WE HELP
Education for Transformation
Jail-Based Education
supports formerly incarcerated and justice-involved people in crafting affordable paths to college, vocational training, or apprenticeships. We attend academic and financial aid advising meetings and mentoring during educational programs and into employment that leads to self-sufficiency.
SJI Offers:
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College and vocational training application services
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Financial aid application services
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Grant applications services
- Academic counseling services
Post-secondary education benefits
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Civic Participation
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Economic Opportunities
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Supportive Social Networks
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The Institute for Research on Labor & Employment
Education Pathway Programs
supports formerly incarcerated and justice-involved people in crafting affordable paths to college, vocational training, or apprenticeships. We attend academic and financial aid advising meetings and mentoring during educational programs and into employment that leads to self-sufficiency.
SJI Offers:
-
College and vocational training application services
-
Financial aid application services
-
Grant applications services
- Academic counseling services
Post-secondary education benefits
-
Civic Participation
-
Economic Opportunities
-
Supportive Social Networks
-
The Institute for Research on Labor & Employment
Our Advocacy
supports formerly incarcerated and justice-involved people in crafting affordable paths to college, vocational training, or apprenticeships. We attend academic and financial aid advising meetings and mentoring during educational programs and into employment that leads to self-sufficiency.
SJI Offers:
-
College and vocational training application services
-
Financial aid application services
-
Grant applications services
- Academic counseling services
Post-secondary education benefits
-
Civic Participation
-
Economic Opportunities
-
Supportive Social Networks
-
The Institute for Research on Labor & Employment
OUR
Findings
Following what has proven to drastically decrease re-incarceration rates, programs such as Bard Prison Initiative and Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison where they report a recidivism rate of between 2% and 4%, SJI is addressing, at the local level, educational needs earlier in the criminal justice system process with two objectives
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1) Decrease recidivism and court involvement
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2) End long-term prison sentences
HELP IS OUR GOAL
What Makes Us Different
We Educate
Education is core to rehabilitation our liberal arts module program equips students with skills, ethos, and experience for successful reintegration into the community.
We Help
-Foster self-confidence, dignity and self-respect
-Break the cycle early in the criminal justice process
-Reduce recidivism (reincarceration)
-Promote more peaceful encounters with others
We Build
Create Pathways to educational opportunities and connect students to accredited educational programs and needed community resources to ensure their success in re-entry.
Our Mission
Break the cycle of incarceration early in the criminal justice system process with liberal arts courses and programs in local jails and in communities.
