SOCIAL WORK: ORGANIZATIONS:
The Fortune Society
The Fortune Society
<http://www.fortunesociety.org/>
About Us
<http://www.fortunesociety.org/01_about/about.html>
The Fortune Society is working to create a world where all who are incarcerated or formerly incarcerated can become positive, contributing members of society. We do this through a holistic, one-stop model of service provision that includes: substance abuse treatment, counseling, career development, education, housing, recreation and lifetime aftercare. Our service model is based on nearly forty years of experience in working with this unique population weve found that without a solid base in core skill areas, too many clients will continue the self-destructive behaviors that result in crime and incarceration. Our continuum of care, informed and implemented by professionals with similar cultural backgrounds and life experiences as our clients, helps ensure their success.
Fortune serves approximately 4,000 men and women annually via our four New York City-area locations offices on 19th and 23rd Streets in Manhattan, the Fortune Academy in West Harlem and the Drop-In Center in Queens and our program models are frequently recognized for their quality and innovation
Our Mission
<http://www.fortunesociety.org/01_about/mission.html>
The Fortune Society believes in a world where all who are at-risk, incarcerated or formerly incarcerated can become positive, contributing members of society. Our work supports successful prisoner re-entry and promotes alternatives to incarceration, so strengthening the fabric of our communities.
We do this by:
BELIEVING in the power of individuals to change
BUILDING LIVES through service programs shaped by the needs and experiences of our clients
CHANGING MINDS through education and advocacy that works to rectify unjust and brutal criminal justice policies
Publications
<http://www.fortunesociety.org/04_advocacy/pubs.html>
Blueprint For Criminal Justice Reform: Bringing Justice to Scale by the Coalition for Criminal Justice Reform
61 pages, 2006
Download PDF
Housing Ex-Offenders by the National Housing Institute
Publisher of Shelterforce, The Journal of Affordable Housing and Community Building
Issue #139, January/February 2005
Read Article
Outside the Walls: A National Snapshot of Community-Based Prisoner Re-Entry Programs by the Reentry National Media Outreach Campaign
18 pages, 2005
Download PDF
No Second Chance: People with Criminal Records Denied Access to Public Housing by Human Rights Watch
101 pages, 2004
Download PDF
Unjust and Counterproductive: New Yorks Rockefeller Drug Laws by Physicians for Human Rights
120 pages, 2004
This joint study between The Fortune Society and Physicians for Human Rights examines the effects of mandatory sentencing on the criminal justice population.
Download PDF
New Beginnings: The Need for Supportive Housing for Previously Incarcerated People by Common Ground Community and the Corporation for Supportive Housing
59 pages, 2004
Download PDF
Tool Kit
<http://www.fortunesociety.org/04_advocacy/toolkit.html>
The Fortune Societys innovative programs, especially the design and implementation of the Fortune Academy, have been the subject of numerous case studies within the criminal justice and social services fields. The following publications are of interest to policymakers and community-based organizations looking to replicate our service models.
From Locked Up to Locked Out: Creating and Implementing Post-release
Housing for Ex-prisoners by AIDS Housing of Washington
210 pages, 2005
This guide is a starting point for planning and improving post-release housing and related services to support the transition of individuals out of prison. It includes examples of housing and service programs that are serving this population and offers references to numerous resources for further reading and research.
Download PDF
Guide for Developing Housing for Ex-Offenders by U.S. Department of Justice
26 pages, May 2004
This guide is intended as a tool to help interested groups by presenting a step-by-step approach for developing housing for former prisoners. Download PDF
The Fortune Academy: Housing for Homeless Ex-Prisoners by the Community Capacity
Development Office at the U.S. Department of Justice
13 pages,
2003 Download PDF
Links
<http://www.fortunesociety.org/04_advocacy/links.html>
Topical Categories of Links
Policy and Public Advocacy
Studies and Statistics
Services
Content Sample of Links from
Policy and Public Advocacy
360 Degrees is the first interactive web site designed to explore the criminal justice system and its prison population.
American Civil Liberties Union seeks to create constitutional conditions of confinement and strengthen prisoners rights through class action litigation and public education
American Probation and Parole Association is at the vanguard in exploring issues relevant to the field of community-based corrections.
Amnesty International is a worldwide campaigning movement that works to promote all the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international standards.
Center for Court Innovation and the Bureau of Justice Assistance offers information about innovative new programs that are improving the way criminal justice agencies work.
The Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice is a private non-profit organization with a mission to reduce reliance on incarceration as a solution to social problems.
Citizens United for the Rehabilitation of Errants is a non-profit nationwide organization dedicated to the reduction of crime through the reform of the criminal justice system.
Correctional Association of New York has focused public attention on the misguided efforts to use prison as a salve for serious social problems.
Death Penalty Focus is a non-profit organization dedicated to the abolition of capital punishment through grassroots organizing, research, and the dissemination of information about the death penalty and its alternatives.
Drop the Rock is a powerful array of individuals and organizations throughout New York State working vigorously on a statewide campaign to repeal the Rockefeller Drug Laws.
Families Against Mandatory Minimums is a national organization of citizens working to reform federal and state mandatory sentencing laws that remove judicial discretion.
SEE THE LINKS PAGE FOR MUCH MORE IN EACH CATEGORY.
News & Events
<http://www.fortunesociety.org/05_news/news.html>
The Fortune Society is committed to changing the general publics perception of incarcerated and newly released individuals through education and advocacy. One of the most effective ways we have found of delivering this important message is through public celebrations, media appearances and educational salons. These occasions often allow the men and women we work with to speak for themselves thereby helping us change the publics perception of former prisoners. With every public appearance we demonstrate the potential of this population to become productive, contributing members of society.
Also have a look at the "Get Involved" and the FAQ sections of this website.
FAQ
<http://www.fortunesociety.org/07_faq/faq.html>
Is there a branch of The Fortune Society in my state?
I want to start my own version of The Fortune Society how do I do it?
How do I request a subscription to Fortune News?
Im scheduled to be released from prison in a couple of months. How can I obtain a Letter of Reasonable Assurance?
How do I enter the Prisoner Art Show?
I wrote a book about criminal justice issues and/or my time in prison. Can you publish it? If not, can you recommend a publisher who might be interested?
Im a prison artist. Can you help me find a gallery or other means to sell my work? (Ill even give you a percentage of the proceeds!)
I have a loved one in prison who would like to receive more mail. Does The Fortune Society have a pen pal service? Can I place an ad for a pen pal in Fortune News?
I feel as though my rights are being violated because of my criminal justice status. Can you help?
I was released from prison several years ago and Im still having a hard time getting a job. Do you have any suggestions?
Im working with a group that is looking to replicate your re-entry service model. Is there a way for me to get my specific questions answered?
Contact Information
General Information:
The Fortune Society
53 West 23rd Street, 8th Floor
New York, NY 10010
212.691.7554 (phone)
212.255.4948 (fax)
_______________
Donations:
For questions about donating to The Fortune Society, contact:
Brian Robinson
Senior Director of Development
212–691–7554 x526
(Address removed)
To donate now, click here.
_______________
Inquiries:
For questions about Fortune's services for former prisoners, contact: Nancy Lopez
Director of Health and Counseling Services
212–691–7554 x710
(Address removed)
More related to The Fortune Society
Minister heeds call to speak out about HIV
by TANANGACHI MFUNI
Amsterdam News Staff
Originally posted 6/7/2007
Amsterdam News
<http://www.amsterdamnews.com/News/article/
article.asp?NewsID=79450&sID=4>
A shorter URL for the above link:
After her diagnosis, she made it her business to learn everything she could about HIV and AIDS. He quest drove her to New York Citybased non-profit The Fortune Society, where she recalls being the oldest enrollee in the HIV/AIDS education course. After graduating at the top of her class, Walker said her pastor tapped her to lead the churchs HIV/ AIDS ministry.
The Bible says your gift will make room for you, said Walker who has had the opportunity to tell her story before hundreds in the city. God will open up doors that I never could open up myself, said Walker willing to go where that open door may lead.
News From New York State Defenders Association
News from New York State Defenders Association
For more information contact: Joanne Macri, New York State Defenders Association Immigrant Defense Project, 718–858–9658 Ext. 206 (Office), 716–913–3200 (Cell)
Advocates Call for Rehabilitation, Not Deportation...
For Immigrants in Criminal Justice System; Advocates Praise Recommendations of City Bar Report
<http://www.readmedia.com/news/show/
Advocates_Call_for_Rehabilitation_Not_Deportation/1627>
A shorter URL for the above link:
The City Bar report calls for a stronger state advisory law that will require courts to advise immigrants in all cases of the immigration consequences of their guilty pleas. The City Bar report also calls for a change in local diversion program policies, so that defendants can participate in these programs without having to enter a guilty plea. The report is the first of its kind to focus on the deportation consequences of the citys diversion programs for immigrant New Yorkers.
Advocates who work with immigrants in the citys criminal justice system have long been concerned about these issues. We have seen this problem often. Immigrant defendants who are required to plead guilty as a pre-condition to enter a treatment program are faced with a Hobson's choice, said Harvey Weinig, Senior Director of Court Advocacy of the Fortune Society. If they do not plead guilty and are forced to trial, in all likelihood they will be sentenced to jail if found guilty and deported at the end of their sentence. If they plead guilty, enter and successfully complete a treatment program, they still face the real possibility of deportation.
Other cities and states have strong advisory statutes that warn defendants of immigration consequences of guilty pleas in all cases and have innovative diversion programs that permit defendants to enter rehabilitation programs instead of incarceration without having to plead guilty first.
Its unfortunate that in a city like New York, which prides itself on being immigrant-friendly, non-citizen legal residents cant avail themselves of the rehabilitative services available in the myriad treatment courts that have been established city-wide, said Ward J. Oliver, Staff Attorney with the Legal Aid Societys Immigration Law Unit. The policy of requiring participants to plead guilty before they can participate in a program means that even after successful completion, the initial plea will be considered a conviction under the Immigration and Nationality Act. For the immigrant, success can mean no criminal record in New York State, but mandatory deportation from the United States.
New York City is home to 1,446,918 immigrants, approximately forty-nine percent of whom have resided in the United States for at least fifteen years. Many of these immigrantsincluding lawful permanent residents and refugeesmay be subject to deportation for even a minor interaction with the criminal justice system. It costs approximately $2,885 per month to detain a person in an immigration prison pending deportationwhich can take months or even years.
Downsizing our prison population
EDITORIAL – 05/17/2007
El Diario
<http://www.eldiariony.com/noticias/
detail.aspx?section=25&desc=Editorial&id=1642170>
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Downsizing our prison population
EDITORIAL – 05/17/2007
In New York City, a million dollar block doesnt represent wealth. Instead, it describes a block where the number of incarcerated residents is so high that it results in a state expenditure of $1 million.
These inmates are in state prisons, where Hispanics are 26 percentor 16,600of the 63,000 population. Once released, many will be re-arrestedthe bulk for parole violations. But if New York State brings some model programs to scale, million dollar blocks could become less of a painful distinction.
Alarming trends in prison growth and glaring racial disparity have propelled a movement for less expensive, but more productive alternatives. These alternatives not only address fundamental problems, especially for nonviolent drug offenders, but also generate savings.
The Fortune Societys alternative to incarceration program is one example. It costs Fortune $10,000 to save a year of incarcerationthe state spends at least three times that amount. And the Legal Action Center estimates a $60,000 savings for every offender diverted from prison.
The Entry for The Fortune Society on the Idealist.org website
The Fortune Society
(Address removed) Click here to view the email address.
Location: 53 West 23rd Street, 8th floor, New York, New York, 10010, United States
Website: http://www.fortunesociety.org
Contact person: Rachel Negron
Fax: 212–633–8456
Phone: 212.691.7554
Last updated: June 4, 2007
<http://www.idealist.org/en/org/81586–269>
Includes Job Postings
Prior discussion of Idealist.org on Net-Gold may be found at this URL:
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Net-Gold/msearch?query=
idealist.org&submit=Search&charset=windows-1252>
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The Most Recent Fortune Society Prisoner Art Show <http://www.filmlinc.com/wrt/gallery/prisonart.htm>
The men and women who submit their paintings, drawings and sculptures to The Fortune Societys Annual Prisoner Art Show dont have access to conventional supplies. Many never received any formal training or had any interest in art before they were arrested. Nevertheless, the circumstances of their incarceration compel them to create, using the materials they have at their disposal: coffee grounds, beet juice, M&Ms. Their work reflects the isolation, memory and longing that punctuate prison life.
The Fortune Society's 7th Annual Prisoner Art Show is free and open to the public. The posters are on display in the Walter Reade Theaters Frieda and Roy Furman Gallery at Lincoln Center. Gallery hours are 2–8 pm daily.
On Saturday, December 9th and Sunday, December 10th we will host artist lectures and discussions featuring Phyllis Kornfeld, internationally known prison art expert as well as residents of the Fortune Academy, the Fortune Societys award-winning housing facility in West Harlem. These events begin each day at 2pm and are free and open to the public. On Wednesday, December 13th a gala cocktail party and live auction will be held in the Furman Gallery, hosted by Hugh Hildesley of Sothebys. All proceeds from the sale will benefit the work of The Fortune Society.
Is there such a thing as Prison Theology (PriTheo)? And if there is, would such a metaphysical notion as PriTheo be peculiar to all other forms of theology? These were just some of the basic questions Ameti Bey, Talib and I have grappled with all year at Sullivan Prison.
As New York Theological Seminary alumni, we acquired our Masters Degree while at the infamous Sing Sing Prison, one of the oldest prison facilities in America. NYTS offers a graduate study program at Sing Sing prison.
As men in prison, we sought to examine the religious inertia behind the wall and evince a degree of reflection that would encourage faith adherents to soberly live out their theological
<http://www.correctionhistory.org/html/fortune/html/captivespirit01.html>
ERIC #: EJ551727
Title: An Alternative to Incarceration: The Fortune Society of New York. Authors: Bahn, Charles; Davis, James R.
Descriptors: At Risk Persons; Correctional Rehabilitation; Crime Prevention; Intervention; Program Effectiveness; Program Evaluation; Rehabilitation Programs; Socialization
Source: Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, v24 n3–4 p163–81 1997 Publication Date: 1997–00–00
Pub Types: Journal Articles; Reports – Evaluative
Abstract: Analyzed 320 case records, interviewed offenders and
staff, and made general observations to evaluate a nonresidential, anti-incarceration facility. Results indicate that successful graduates have the least serious criminal records, most have positive attitudes toward the facility, and participants receive much individual attention. Other findings and policy recommendations are presented. (RJM) Identifiers: New York (New York)
Record Type: CIJE
ISSN: ISSN-1050–9674
Languages: English <http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/
detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=EJ551727&
ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=eric_accno&accno=EJ551727>
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The Fortune Society of New York Helps People Avoid Homelessness
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
451 7th Street S.W., Washington, DC 20410
Telephone: (202) 708–1112 TTY: (202) 708–1455 <http://www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/about/local/ny/fortune.cfm>
he Fortune Society of New York officially opened wide its doors to inmates being released from the New York State prison system on June 17th. The Fortune Academy, as this HUD-assisted project is known, will provide 59 beds in a castle-like setting to men and women leaving prison who have no family, no prospects and nowhere else to go. The 59 homeless and often HIV positive residents will receive a broad range of supportive services including life skills training, drug treatment, medical care and career development services to provide them with the skills and resources needed to independently maintain housing. The project received financial assistance from New York State, New York City and private foundations in addition to the HUD assistance. HUD provided $1,288,625 in HOPWA grant funds and $1,343,980 in Supportive Housing Program grant funds to help transform this Harlem landmark into a castle for those most in need
Case Studies
Case Studies
Case Study Type
* Housing for Ex-Offenders
State(s)
* New York (NY)
HUD Region
* Region 2 – New York/New Jersey
Contact Information
Joanne Page, President and Chief Executive Officer
The Fortune Society, Inc.
53 West 23rd Street, 8th Floor
New York, NY 10010
(212) 691–7554 ext. 500
http://www.fortunesociety.org
The Fortune Academy
<http://www.aidshousing.org/cases4227/cases_show.htm?doc_id=396113>
Brief Summary
The Fortune Academy provides emergency and longer-term housing, along with an array of services, for 59 recently released prisoners. This innovative program model, the creative capital and operations financing for the project, and the strategy employed to "win over" the neighborhood have led to national interest in The Fortune Academy as a model for providing housing to the ex-prisoner population.
NYC Guide to Women's and Social Justice Organizations
The Fortune Society.
Postal Address 39 W. 19th St.,
7th Floor
New York, NY 10011.
Telephone 212.206.7070. Fax 212.366.6323. <http://www.barnard.columbia.edu/crow/guide/EF/FortSoc.htm>
Description
The agency exists to help prisoners, ex-offenders, and those facing jail or prison time. We work to improve prison conditions and protect the rights of prisoners. Staffed primarily by ex-offenders, Fortune is committed to provide the foundation from which new lives can be launched. Fortune provides re-entry services such as educational, vocational, HIV and services, and the transitional housing to name a few.
NEIGHBORHOOD REPORT: WEST HARLEM -- UPDATE;
Fortune Society Gets Castle
By JANET ALLON
Published: March 22, 1998
New York Times Archives
<http://query.nytimes.com/gst/
fullpage.html?res=9F06EEDD1738F931A15750C0A96E958260>
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The castlelike building at 140th Street and Riverside Drive has stood empty for 18 years, as various plans to develop it have fallen by the wayside. Built as a Roman Catholic boarding school in 1910, it later served as a yeshiva. It has been used to shoot movies, including ''Basketball Diaries'' and ''Search and Destroy.''
For the last couple of years, Samuel Silberberg, who bought the property from the city in 1980 for $125,000, and his son, David, have been trying to sell it. On Tuesday the Fortune Society, a nonprofit group based in Chelsea that provides support services to ex-prisoners, former drug abusers and teen-agers, bought the gutted building and the vacant lot next to it for $1.2 million. The organization plans to renovate the building, call it the Fortune Academy and offer educational, vocational and counseling services. A residence for 40 to 55 clients is planned, Vaughn W. Jackson, director of court operations , said at a Community Board 9 meeting on Thursday.
A Recipe for a Second Chance.
Bellafante, Ginia
New York Times,
3/9/2005 v. 154 no. 53148 p. F1-F9
Registering Voters One Jail at a Time
Childress, Sarah
Newsweek,
10/11/2004 v. 144 no. 15 p. 12
Fortune Society wellness fair
New York Amsterdam News
9/16/2004 v. 95 no. 38 p. 30
Defending the Despised, and Loving to Do So.
Richardson, Lynda
New York Times
7/13/2004 v. 153 no. 52909 p. B2
With Rikers Behind Them, A New Way Station Beckons O'Grady, Jim
New York Times
11/24/2002 v. 152 no. 52312 Section 14 p. 7
A ray of hope after the darkness.
Johnson, Lance
New York Amsterdam News
11/21/2002 v. 93 no. 47 p. 5
A residence for offenders in old castle
Boyd, Herb
New York Amsterdam News
6/20/2002 v. 93 no. 25 p. 4
HUD awards NYC providers $4.3M to support AIDS housing
Browne, J. Zamgba
New York Amsterdam News
12/14/2000 v. 91 no. 50 p.17
Ex-offenders march in a campaign for civil rights
Carrillo, Karen Juanita
New York Amsterdam News
11/23/2000 v. 91 no. 47 p. 6
Tim Robbins honored for criminal justice activism
Barber, Christopher
New York Amsterdam News
11/16/2000 v. 91 no. 46 p. 40
The Fortune Society's Latino Discharge Planning: A Model of Comprehensive Care for HIV-Positive....
Motta-Moss, Ana; Freudenberg, Nicholas; Young, Wayman; Gallagher, Tracey Drugs and Society
2000 v. 16 no. 1 / 2 p. 123
A life after prison.
Delaney, Yvonne
New York Amsterdam News
10/21/99 v. 90 no. 43 p. 8
Offenders get a second chance at the Fortune Society
Allen; Dash, Reniqua
New York Amsterdam News
07/22/99 v. 90 no. 30 p. 18
The complete articles may be read at the URLs provided for each.
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Temple University
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