REENTRY UNIT OPENS AT HUDSON CORRECTIONAL FACILITY Mike McCagg ccSCOOP News 03-05-09 - Less than a year after plans to close the Hudson Correctional Facility were halted by local and regional protest, NYS Department of Correctional Services has opened a specialized “reentry” unit at the facility.   The 40-bed unit opened on Sunday, March 1, and is the third such unit to be created by DOCS in the past year. It will eventually be one of four serving the state.

Erik Kriss, public information specialist for the Department of Correctional Services, explained that the Hudson reentry unit will serve inmates within three to four months of release who will be returning to homes in Albany, Rensselaer, Columbia, and Schenectady counties.

Asked if the new unit indicates a commitment to the long-term future of the Hudson Correctional Facility, Kriss said, “Nobody can say what the long-term future holds,” but he added that the facility is not among the four prison camps and other facilities targeted for closure in Governor David Paterson’s proposed 2009-2010 budget.

The Hudson Correction Facility employs approximately 270 full time workers and has become—since the closing of LB Industries and the anticipated loss of more than 300 manufacturing jobs at Kaz. Inc.—one of the county’s larger employers.

The unit is the result of a collaboration between the Department of Correctional Services, the Division of Parole, and reentry task forces from Albany and Rensselaer counties. Inmates will stay in the facility and receive specialized services that prepare them for “successful reintegration” to society, Kriss explained.

While the new unit does not create any new jobs at the Hudson Correctional Facility, it will bring more professionals to the area, increasing traffic to local businesses. That’s because a team of experts will regularly visit inmates in the new unit.

While incarcerated in the dormitory-style unit, the prisoners will meet with the parole officers, case workers, potential employers, and others from their home county who will form their key support network after release. These professionals will join a team made up of corrections and parole officers, service providers certified by the Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services, and other community- and faith-based agencies to assess each prisoner’s needs. Those needs could range from official documents to employment and housing opportunities.

Prior to release, inmates in the program will:

• be evaluated for job training, anger management, substance-abuse counseling and/or other programs in the community, depending on their needs;
• be informed about applying for public benefits;
• practice employability skills;
• learn to use the Department of Labor’s Career Zone software.

Hank Lemons, interim chairman of the Division of Parole, said in a prepared statement that “expanding our reentry program to Hudson will give more inmates the opportunity to establish a solid plan for going home. Being closer to home allows individuals to reconnect with communities and families before their release, further enhancing their ability to be successful. Ultimately, this program benefits not only those who choose to become productive members of society, but can have a lasting impact on public safety.”

The new reentry unit is also expected to benefit the county by reducing of number of crimes committed by inmates being released to homes in Columbia County. “With this Hudson initiative and other reentry projects, we are reducing recidivism and saving lives and taxpayers’ money," said OASAS Commissioner Karen M. Carpenter-Palumbo in a prepared statement.