Sound Justice Initiative – Education For Transformation

Reversing the Prison
Pipeline

Liberal Arts courses and resources for
incarcerated students on Long Island

Transforming lives, families, and communities. Sound justice 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.

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Sound Justice Initiative Inc.

Jail Education Program

We provide adults and young adults in county jails college and employment preparation courses.

What We Offer

Through the liberal arts, SJI offers thought provoking liberal arts mini-courses, employment preparation and life skills classes.

Philosophy

We create pathways to ensure the continuity of educational opportunity in higher education,
vocational/technical and apprenticeship programs.

What Makes Us Different?

We assist in the completion of college, financial aid, and employment applications, and more.

930

Liberal arts develops 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

Our Advocacy

Courses in Jails

Re-Entry Programs

Self & Individual/Group

The liberal arts equip students with critical and creative thinking skills, it cultivates empathy and hones oral and written communication skills, which are essential to becoming strong advocates for themselves and others.

Systemic & Structural

Currently, “Independent Student” status for those under 24 does not include incarcerated or youth (17-24) recently released. SJI calls on removing the discriminatory practice described in the definition of “Independent Student” under §1087(d)(1) of the Higher Education Act (HEA) and to include incarcerated and formerly incarcerated youth (17-24) in the definition.

SJI supports state and national legislation that would remove criminal justice information questions from college admissions application and employment applications

2023-2024 Award Year

For the 2023-2024 award year, the department plans to completely remove both the selective service and drug conviction questions from the FAFSA. as well as the option to register with the selective service via the FAFSA. We will also remove any associated comments codes and messaging that indicate a resolution is required for federal title IV eligibility.

Courses in the jail

We offer liberal arts module-courses in county jails to incarcerated

Women and men. Through a learner-centered approach, our students are introduced to an interdisciplinary field of studies where they explore topics such as truth, experience, ethical responsibility, power, and more.

Courses Taught Include

Ethics of Listening

Philosophy of the Self

Goddesses of World Mythology

Philosophy of Happiness

Just Think

Inner Thoughts (a courses designed and name by students)

Upcoming Courses

Psychology: Women, Trauma, and Crime

Mind-bend: On Thinking Creatively

Re-entry programs

Liberal arts courses in county jails
Education Pathway Program
- College
- High Skills Vocational/Technical Training
- Apprenticeship Programs
Community-based Liberal Arts Course

post-secondary education benefits

Civic Participation
Economic Opportunities
Supportive Social Networks

The Institute for Research on Labor & Employment

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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

1) Decrease recidivism and court involvement

2) End long-term prison sentences

Recidivism

Sentences Reduced