- About Us
- What We Do
- Special Projects
- Clemency
- Federal Litigation Advisory Group
- Forensic Science Project
- Immigrant Justice Practice
- Impact Litigation Project
- Access to Appeals
- Justice First Project
- Legislation Committee
- Racial Justice Project
- SORA
- Survivors Advocacy Practice
- The Plea Project
- Youth and Emergent Adult Resentencing Project
- Youthful Offender Reapplication Project
- For Clients & Families
- For the Legal Community
Better Days Program
It is not disputable that individuals released from custody have tremendous problems getting traction in the labor market, particularly in today’s challenging economic environment.
Even beyond the resistance employers may have to hiring a person with a criminal record or who has spent time in prison, individuals who have spent time in custody may lack both concrete skills and any experience in managing a regular job in a structured workplace.
Yet, steady employment is one of the best ways to avoid recidivism, as well as a positive source of purpose and meaning.
What we delevoped
A first-of-a-kind “Better Days” program. Its goal is to hire one client or former client annually, for a one year position, to help with administrative tasks such as scanning
and mail room support. With their bona fides established through their work with us, it is the hope that they will be able to move forward and secure more permanent employment after their
time with us. Our social worker will be working with them throughout their year with us to assist with resume preparation and job counseling, as well as real-life issues such as budgeting and
negotiating the workplace.
Our Better Days program is now a reality, thanks in large part to the generosity of a philanthropic donor who immediately recognized the vision and potential of our idea, and provided us with
a grant to help fund it. With that assistance, CAL was able to offer employment to a former client in January 2014. He is now a part of the CAL family, learning valuable skills that he can
take with him in the future.
Equally exciting, Better Days is spreading. Inspired by CAL, and again with the financial help of our donor, three other organizations — Bronx Defenders, Brooklyn Defender Services, and
Immigrant Defense Project — are instituting their own Better Days programs. It is our hope that this is just the beginning.
Other Special Projects
CLEMENCY PROJECT
Executive clemency is powerful tool for those who are still suffering the consequences of past convictions.
FEDERAL LITIGATION ADVISORY GROUP
Although CAL legal advocacy for its clients often ends at the Court of Appeals, it is essential that we devote meaningful attention to criminal federal court proceedings.
FORENSIC SCIENCE PROJECT
Started in 2018, FSP litigates (and supports the litigation of) claims involving forensic science.
IMMIGRANT JUSTICE PRACTICE
Our Immigrant Justice Practice (IJP) zealously pursues post-conviction relief for noncitizen clients to advance their rights and protect them from the threat of immigration incarceration and deportation as a result of their criminal conviction.
Impact Litigation Project
The Impact Litigation Project develops and implements impact-litigation strategies for changing the law by fighting for legal rulings in criminal and civil cases that bolster liberty.
IN FORMA PAUPERIS & ACCESS TO APPEALS
After an indigent individual pleads guilty or is found guilty at trial, they are all too often forgotten about and lost to the system
JUSTICE FIRST
There is no longer any debate that the criminal justice system generates wrongful convictions, cases in which innocent people are sentenced to long periods of prison for crimes they did not commit.
RACIAL JUSTICE PROJECT
The criminal legal system is a particularly stark and sobering example of the myriad ways in which racial bias and inequity infect our society.
SORA
In New York, individuals who are released from prison after completing their sentences for sex offenses must register with the Division of Criminal Justice Services.
SURVIVORS ADVOCACY PRACTICE
CAL’s Survivors Advocacy Practice represents survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking who are seeking post-conviction relief.
Youthful Offender Reapplication Project
Youthful Offender Adjudication is an immensely important disposition for young people since a "YO" adjudication is not a conviction.
Youth and Emergent Adult Resentencing Project
Haunted by the reality that young adults whom CAL represented years and sometimes decades earlier are still serving the crushing sentences imposed by the trial court and unremediated on appeal, CAL developed the YEARS project.