Network is a very unique organization. As the only Prisoner Rehabilitation program operating on a residential or modular basis in 4 New York State prisons, annually providing 400 incarcerated individuals not only with solid cognitive behavioral services through the therapeutic community model but comprehensive and practical discharge planning, with comprehensive support directly and through referral to men and women as they reenter Harlem and South Bronx communities. I have attached our recent press release announcing my appointment as well as brief write ups on our Network in the Prisons and Network in the Community programming.

Summary of Network Activity in _____

Network in the Prisons sponsors and manages CBT therapeutic residential communities inside five New York State correctional facilities, working with approximately 400 inmates per year. Thanks to the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice, we are now able to fund discharge planning, determined by the research to be a crucial element for successful prisoner reintegration and one that has hitherto largely been neglected

333 parolees received Network in the Community therapeutic reentry and transitional services in NYC in 2017

Our ATI Diversion program has expanded to meet the need of increasing referrals from the Manhattan and Bronx (via Bronx Defenders) Criminal Court, now serving 100 individuals annually.

In an initiative called Circles of Support, Network is currently in a partnership with the Harlem Community Justice Center, the Interfaith Center of New York and the Church of the Heavenly Rest to engage community/family/faith members in reentry efforts.

For the past four years, The Network Therapeutic Community at Otisville Correctional Facility has been hand-crocheting baby blankets which have been distributed to homeless mothers through WIN or Harlem Grown.

With Circle of Support partners, we co-sponsor Raising My Voice Program, a public-speaking training program which prepares formerly-incarcerated individuals to acquire the skills to share their experience with the public. Graduates have spoken at Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Schools and District Attorneys' offices to mobilize the community around effective reentry practices.

Our two Network programs contribute to a highly effective re-entry and prevention model as indicated by our program's recidivism rate: 5% over three years compared to a national three-year rate of 75% for the nation and over 40% for New York State.

Network Support Services, Inc. is committed to working with justice involved men and women in rebuilding lives that allow them to become stakeholders and contributors in their home communities.

The New York State Department of Corrections launched The Network Program in 1979 with funding from the NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services. The therapeutic format was developed thanks to the professional expertise of educational psychologist Dr. Cherie Clark.

Running in 30 prisons across the state, Network was originally intended as a therapeutic-community quality of life program. Then, as now, separate prison dorms, cottages or cell blocks in medium and maximum-security facilities became home to men and women who were committed to turning their lives around through daily therapeutic activity, education and peer/staff support.

After state budget cuts led to Network's closure in all but two prisons in the mid-nineties, the program was reborn in 1999 when it was adopted by the Episcopal Social Services of New York Program family. NSSI's current executive Director began rebuilding Network at ESS in 2002, taking it from four prisons to ten and developing a reentry component which by 2009 was serving 600 parolees a year. In 2009, ESS decided to close Network in order to strengthen its focus on child welfare programs. Devoted to the work and inspired by the programs' outstanding results, Network staff formed a new nonprofit to carry the mission forward rather than see it die.

Today, Network in the Prisons and its sister program, Network in the Community are sponsored and managed by Network Support Services, Inc. (NSSI). Together, the two Network Programs support, guide and walk the walk to freedom with over 500 individuals each year.

Network in the Prisons currently work with approximately 175 incarcerated men at Fishkill, Woodbourne, Wallkill, and Otisville. Network therapeutic communities focus on mutual self-help, which means that while participants heal themselves, they also contribute to the healing of their peers in the group.

Network in the Community Program assists about 250 parolees each year through peer- and one-to-one mentoring, substance-abuse prevention services, anger management, and a wide range of reentry services, in-house and by referral. Services in the 24-week program cycle are currently available to participants from Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx and Brooklyn with a choice of one more of six therapeutic community support sessions each week.

That the practices developed by Network have contributed to a very effective re-entry model is evident in the recidivism rate among program participants: a three-year rate of 5% compared to a national rate of 70% and 40% for New York State.

Funding will be used to support current programming in the 3 areas described and new programming currently in launch phase. CURRENT PROGRAMMING: 1) Reentry: approximately 300 individuals released from state custody to community supervision in NYC will receive 16 weeks of Network in the Community therapeutic programming supplemented by wrap-around reentry services, directly and by referral: job readiness/job placement, housing, education, training, health and treatment referrals, anger management training, substance use disorder prevention, individual counseling and crisis intervention. 2) Alternatives to Incarceration: Network in the Community will provide the diversion option of 12 weeks of behavioral health programming to approximately 250 probationers or court-referred individuals under supervision in the community while awaiting trial at home. 3) Network in the Prisons will deliver behavioral health programming, pre-release discharge and reentry planning services to approximately 350 incarcerated men in Network residential therapeutic communities in 4 New York State prisons. (Intensive discharge planning for individuals facing imminent release from state prisons to communities in NYC is crucially important for its ability to reduce stress overload on new parolees through prearranged services that lower the risk of recidivism. 30% of those eventually returned to prison commit their crimes or violations during the first 6 months post release)

NEW PROGRAMMING: 1) In partnership with the Cornell University Cooperative Extension Hydroponics, Aquaponics, Science, Technology, and Education Program, Network has developed a Therapeutic Peer Mentoring program for Justice involved individuals. The program aims to reduce the high recidivism and negative academic and employment outcomes among the associated population. 2) Restore Therapeutic Support programming and wrap-around services to a minimum of one site in Brooklyn and one in Queens, both high-need areas in terms of numbers of newly-released parolees.

Recidivism Rates

The recidivism rate for Network participants from January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2012 was 8.1%. In the same period, the New York State average rate for individuals violating their parole or committing new crimes was 40%, and the national average was 67.5%

Network's low recidivism rates means that approximately 92% of Network participants remain free after three or more years, are living a law-abiding lifestyle, strengthening their families and contributing to the community tax base by remaining in stable employment

Between January 2002 and December 2012, re-incarceration among Network participants fell far below the statistical expectations in New York State and the country.

$45,357,380 in savings to New York State from the 755 Network participants who could have been expected to but did not recidivate (755 x baseline annual per-inmate cost of $$60,076)

Note: the New York State Department of Corrections estimates that 67% of newly incarcerated or newly re-incarcerated inmates need substance abuse treatment service which raise the annual per-inmate cost for the first year of reincarceration by an additional $30,000 per inmate.

Network in the Prisons

Residential units or modular programs in six New York State correctional facilities

Approximately 500 inmate participants annually

In-Prison Activities:

o Therapeutic Community and Peer Support Meetings (cognitive behavioral)

o Workshops – financial literacy, health issues, reentry issues, job readiness, parenting, education, anger management, leadership skills, personal development, life planning, entrepreneurship

o Inmate Teaching Assistant Tutoring: GED preparation

Other Prison Activities:

o Reentry orientations to approximately 500 offenders and work-release inmates annually nearing release at Queensboro Correctional Facility and Lincoln Correctional Facility.

Network in the Community

Serves 600+ parolees annually through therapeutic community support meetings at three sites in Harlem,; one in the South Bronx and two in South Jamaica, Queens (New York State Department of Corrections & Community Supervision and Queens Justice Center/CASES). Sites are planned for mid-Manhattan and Brooklyn in April 2015.

Community services offered (direct services or third-party referrals):

o Group and individual therapy and mentoring

o Anger management

o Substance Abuse referrals

o Job readiness skills

o Job placement referrals and direct placements

o Education and benefits assistance

o Health services

o Counseling for family members

Most direct service and support staff are ex-offenders who have successfully reintegrated into their communities

o They are successfully employed, in college or have degrees and advanced degrees.

o Positive role models for program participants

Increasing numbers of parolees are being mandated by the Department of Parole to participate in Network after release

Principal referring sources:

o New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.

o Social service agencies and re-entry programs

o Word of mouth.

To raise $25,000.00 to support program goals and New initiatives.

Thorin Daye is the Co-Executive Director of Network Support Services Inc., a unique, reentry focused organization, providing prison-based therapeutic, pre-release discharge and reentry planning services as well as community-based substance use disorder prevention, anger management training, job readiness and other supportive transitional services for parolees who are returning to New York City communities from New York State correctional facilities. Before taking the helm of Network in 2018, he dedicated 5 years as a residential unit NYS Correctional Officer , guiding and assisting participants through changes that lead to successful living.

Thorin graduated Cum Laude with an AAS degree in Green Building Maintenance and Green Building Management from SUNY Orange. He is a decorated combat veteran who devoted 8 years of honorable service between two Military branches, the United States Marine Corps and the NY Army National Guard.

Thorin is a devoted husband and proud father of 4 children and 2 Pitbull rescues. Thorin enjoys tending his organic garden, sustainable landscaping, reading, keeping African cichlid fish tanks.

MARY ELLEN KRAMER – BOARD CHAIR

Mary Ellen Kramer serves as Board Chair of Network Support Services. She is a serial technology entrepreneur and business consultant. She has consulted hundreds of men and women to develop their leadership. Her dedication to executives experiencing dramatic breakthroughs in leadership has resulted in transforming organizations, building inspiring teams, attracting strategic partnerships and investment, and producing unimaginable results with velocity. Recently, Mary Ellen consulted several major US academic institutions to support their application for national manufacturing institute grants over a brief 4 month time period in

the areas of regenerative human tissue, super conductors, biopharma and supply chain management. In addition to her board service for Network, Mary Ellen presently serves as a board member of Omni Ensemble, a nonprofit chamber music ensemble; and is a member of the advisory boards of Project Inkblot, a cross-cultural media agency and the Brooklyn

Ballet. She is the Co-Chair of a Social Justice Committee at the church where she worships in Brooklyn. Mary Ellen is a native New Yorker and a graduate of New York University with a Bachelor of Science in Management and Computer Science. She is married with eight children and four grandchildren.

KATHLEEN HARRISON - TREASURER

Kathy joined Network Support Services Board of Directors in 2017. She previously supported the organization as a volunteer financial consultant.

A financial industry professional with extensive experience in private equity accounting and tax, high-net worth individuals and non-profits, Kathy currently works as a financial consultant to J.C. Flowers & Co., where she previously held the position of Vice President, Finance. Prior to joining J. C. Flowers, Kathy was a Senior Vice President at Quadrangle Group LLC from 2000 to 2010, where she was responsible for financial, tax and administration for private equity funds, as well as personal financial and tax issues for the managing principals. She began her career at Arthur Young, now EY, and held financial and administration positions over the years at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meager & Flom LLC, and AEA

Investors, Inc. among others. Kathy holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Baruch College and is a CPA.

In addition to her work with Network Support Services, Kathy also serves as Treasurer and Chairman of the Finance Committee for the Boys and Girls Club of Harlem.

JEAN KING – Secretary

Jean King retired from the New York State Department of Correctional Services and Community Supervision, where she was employed for over three decades. Jean held positions as a teacher, Education Supervisor and Assistant Deputy Superintendent before reaching Deputy Superintendent, a position she held at Greene and Woodbourne Correctional Facilities.

Jean earned a B.A. from Molloy College, an M.A. from Hunter College and a Certificate of Advanced Study from SUNY New Paltz. Recipient of the 2010 Citizen Award for Community Engagement from the Steinhardt School at New York University, she is a resident of Ulster County and is the parent of three children and the grandmother of three as well. She has served as a board member of Network SSI since 2015.

WESLEY CAINES – BOARD MEMBER

As Reentry and Community Outreach Coordinator at Bronx Defenders, Wesley Caines works within the Civil Action Practice to provide comprehensive reentry and reintegration services to clients and community members. Wesley Caines, a Bronx native, joins The Bronx Defenders from Brooklyn Defender Services where he was Reentry Specialist/Coordinator/Advocate. A graduate of Bard College and New York

Theological Seminary, Wesley has a passion for helping people help themselves. He is well suited to the dual task of educating people on issues concerning the criminal justice system as they connect with the positive impact of personal agency within a framework of structural inequality for those who have criminal justice involvement. Wesley is an

active member of the American Bar Association, Criminal Justice Section, consulting on criminal justice issues. As a Board member for the Brooklyn Community Bail Fund he lends his expertise in the furtherance of helping those who are economically disadvantaged, to improve their criminal justice outcomes through bail. Wesley's life goal is the empowerment of underserved communities, as they become creative selfadvocates who challenge policy-makers' notion of the social contract.

ALEJO RODRIGUEZ – BOARD MEMBER

Alejo Rodriguez serves as the Mentor and Alumni Coordinator of John Jay College Prisoner Reentry Institute. Prior to joining the PRI community, Alejo's previous criminal justice experience culminated into an extensive background of peer educating, organizing and mentoring. He was also a founding teaching artist member of Tribeca Film Institute's Community Screening Series for incarcerated men. He enjoys the opportunity of Mentor Alumni Coordinator to support the success of formerly incarcerated college students and looking for creative ways to engage students in community building relationships. Alejo received his Masters of Professional Studies degree from New York Theological Seminary and a Bachelors of Liberal Arts degree from Syracuse University.

JULIE SIEGELE - BOARD MEMBER

Julie Siegele is a strategic thinker with a 30-year track record of results-oriented advocacy in the worlds of health, education, and social justice. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania with a Master's Degree from Boston University, she conducted and published research for Harvard University, served as a full-time faculty member at Thomas Jefferson University and taught part-time at the University of Maryland's School of Dentistry. She has designed, implemented, and promoted programs as a Public Health Consultant; served on foundation and other non-profit boards; and consulted and advocated on behalf of internationally adopted, post-institutionalized students, including monitoring special education compliance and designing educational programs for students with learning disabilities. As a full-time mother of four, she founded and chaired arts-oriented and other programs within her children's school district. Julie has tutored formerly incarcerated individuals preparing for their GED test and provided mock interviews for members of the re-entry population seeking employment. She is passionate about creating opportunities for others, is excited and honored to serve Network as a member of the Board of Directors and looks forward to reducing recidivism rates for all by enhancing and enlarging the effect of the transformative experience that is Network!

The U.S. Only

555 Bergen Ave.

Bronx NY 10455

3rd floor.

(347)584-8601

WWW.Networkssi.org