The Correctional Association of NY (CANY) was authorized in 1846 by the NYS legislature to monitor state prisons and jails and keep policymakers informed about conditions and issues. It is one of only two independent organizations in the nation with this legal authority. Since its inception, it has played a central role in criminal justice reform in NY, including abolishing corporal punishment, providing access to education and prison libraries, and curbing the use of solitary confinement. Oversight is provided through in-person monitoring visits, confidential correspondence with people in prison and research activities. This grant provides unrestricted funding for CANY in support of its mission to safeguard the human and civil rights of incarcerated people and advocate decreased use of incarceration.

To support advocacy efforts to improve the juvenile justice system in New York State by promoting diversion of youth from the adult criminal system and increasing community-based services to treat youth in their home communities. This project seeks to transform New York’s juvenile justice system from a punitive model into one grounded in positive youth development principles, to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 16 to 18, and to ensure that children are no longer housed in adult jails and prisons. The Correctional Association manages a statewide juvenile justice coalition and works collaboratively with other local, state-based, and national advocates to promote a coordinated reform message. A coordinator was hired to lead this project.