Parole Advocacy In New York with Parole Prep

The goal of this workshop is to train family and community members on the skills needed for parole advocacy in New York State. This will include a teach-in on how the parole system works in NY, how to navigate the expectations of parole commissioners, and the type of advocacy that people on the outside can do to support their loved ones. Participants in this workshop will leave with a zine that includes resources and tools to prepare them to do this work on their own and share with their communities.

Parole Preparation Project provides advocacy and critical support for people serving life sentences in New York State Prisons and those who have returned home. In our work, we pair incarcerated individuals with a team of community volunteers who work together to create written parole applications and prepare for upcoming interviews with the Board of Parole. In the last ten years, we have trained over 800 volunteers to support incarcerated people in navigating the New York State parole process and have worked alongside over 400 incarcerated people. At the core of our work is the principle that no person is disposable; therefore, all people deserve redemption and the opportunity to come home.