Resources

Lend a Helping Hand

CANY communicates with legal providers, advocacy organizations, state agencies and elected officials to share reports from incarcerated individuals, family members, and others impacted by the state’s prisons in an effort to support individuals in need of assistance.

While the Correctional Association of New York is not able to provide legal assistance or extensive individual advocacy, communication with impacted individuals is logged and analyzed for use in monitoring and reporting. Additionally, CANY on a limited basis and with the consent of an impacted individual, does provide legal referrals, access to informational resources, and administrative advocacy.

In order to contact CANY:

Call us at (212) 254-5700
Email us at info@correctionalassociation.org


Write to us at:

Correctional Association of New York
P.O. Box 793
Brooklyn, NY 11207

Resource Guide

This guide is intended to provide a quick overview of resources available to assist individuals incarcerated in New York state as well as their loved ones.

Please note that CANY’s purpose is to provide high-level oversight of the prison system and develop systemic policy and practice solutions. Given this, we do not have the resources to conduct individual advocacy.

Click below to download a PDF of CANY's Action Guide and contact us with questions at info@correctionalassociation.org

  • Incarcerated people have several options available to them to make formal complaints about issues faced in prison, including:

    Filing a grievance

    Writing to the Superintendent of the prison

    Writing to the Commissioner of the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision: Acting Commissioner Annucci, Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, State Office Campus, 1220 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12226-2050

    Writing to the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision’s Office of Special Investigations: To initiate an official investigation, contact the Office of Special Investigations, Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, State Office Campus, 1220 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12226-2050

    Challenging a disciplinary ticket: Incarcerated individuals have a right to a hearing within 14 days of the issuance of the disciplinary ticket, with a right to be present, call witnesses, and present evidence.

  • For further legal assistance, please contact the following organizations:

    Legal Aid Society, Prisoners’ Rights Project
    199 Water Street
    New York, NY 10038

    Prisoners’ Legal Services, office list, and contact information are available here

    Additionally, to order a copy of the Jailhouse Lawyer’s Manual, which provides in-depth information about legal issues and how individuals can best advocate on their own behalves, please contact:

    Columbia Human Rights Law Review
    435 W. 116th Street
    New York, NY 10027

  • To find your elected representatives, please visit this website.

    To contact the Governor and his/her/their relevant senior staff, please use the addresses below:

    The Honorable Kathy Hochul, Governor
    NYS State Capitol Building, Albany, NY 12224

    Counsel to the Governor, Jeffrey H. Pearlman
    NYS Capitol Building, Albany, NY 12224

  • In collaboration with the Center for Urban Pedagogy's Public Access Design program, we have created this guide that explains how to stay connected with loved ones who are incarcerated in New York State prisons.

    Please email us at info@correctionalassociation.org to request physical copies of the Keep in Touch guide.

Elected
Officials

Contacting elected officials, including State Legislators and the Office of the Governor, can help provide visibility into an individual case, while assisting in disseminating information about the state of the prisons in New York. As a result, we encourage you to share real-time reports of experiences of incarceration and requests for help with your local State Senator, Member of State Assembly, and the Office of the Governor.

To find your State Senator and State Assemblymember

Visit this page and enter your address. If you are an incarcerated individual, use your last address on the outside or a zip code to find your elected officials.

To contact the Governor

and his/her/their relevant senior staff, please call 518-474-8390, visit the Governor’s website, or write to: The Honorable Kathy Hochul, Governor, NYS State Capitol Building, Albany, NY 12224

“Keep in Touch” Launch Event with the Center for Urban Pedagogy

In collaboration with the Center for Urban Pedagogy's Public Access Design program, we partnered to create a Keep In Touch guide to inform loved ones how to stay connected with loved ones who are incarcerated in New York State prisons.

Please email us at info@correctionalassociation.org to request free physical copies of the Keep in Touch guide.

Hearing from You

How can we better help in providing resources for those impacted by incarceration?

If contacting CANY on behalf of an incarcerated individual, please fill out the form to the best of your knowledge.