“Hudson Link, and college education, is not just a gift for that student, changing his life. It’s a gift for the people who are going back to their families, back to their communities and back to the world we all live in,” says Sean Pica, executive director of Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison. Hudson Link provides college educations, reentry support and life skills to incarcerated people in six correctional facilities, including two in Westchester County – Sing Sing in Ossining, and Taconic in Bedford Hills. The organization currently works with 11 college partners, including Ivy Leaguers like Columbia University, and several local schools – Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, Vassar in Poughkeepsie, Mount Saint Mary in Newburgh, and St. Thomas Aquinas in Rockland County.
By helping incarcerated people, it also helps their communities in numerous ways. “Our alumni return to their families and communities as role models, and 85% are gainfully employed in the field of social services within three months of release,” says Pica.
Plus, once Hudson Link graduates get of prison, they almost always stay out. The organization says fewer than 2% of its graduates wind up back behind bars for a new crime within three years of their initial release date. Compare that to the national three-year recidivism rate, which is 67%, according to the National Institute of Justice. And Hudson Link doesn’t cost taxpayers a dime. The organization “does not directly receive public funding; our organization privately fundraises through grants and donations,” says Pica. And since it costs the state about $60,000 a year to incarcerate a person, Hudson Link’s programs are in essence saving taxpayer money.
But you can’t put a price tag on the lives it has saved, and the redemption it has provided. “Hudson Link has helped award over 1,200 degrees since 1998 – some of our students earn both associate and bachelor’s degrees with us. Additionally, we currently have over 670 students and 1,800 alumni who have been returned to their families and communities, “ says Pica.
Besides an education, Hudson Link also helps formerly incarcerated people adjust to life on the outside, by assisting them with the essentials – like jobs and housing. “We also offer career readiness skills, including resume-building resources, employment search assistance, professional attire, computer literacy training, professional mentoring, internship, and fellowship opportunities,” says Pica. He adds “Safe housing is an integral part of successful post-incarceration. We assist from identifying options to filling out applications and navigating need-based supportive housing when appropriate, including our own New Beginnings transitional housing program.“
Pica himself is a Hudson Link success stories. He spent 16 years behind bars, starting when he was just a teenager. While he was doing hard time, he used that time to become the first person in his family to earn a college degree. He says, “When I got to prison, I thought my life was over. Only after the encouragement of the older men in the prison did I see hope and pursue my education. I was in Hudson Link’s first graduating class, receiving my Bachelor’s in 2001. I came into prison as a high school dropout and left with a Master’s degree.”
Then, after he was released, he joined the board of Hudson Link, which he helped found while incarcerated. During his tenure, he helped grow the program from 60 students attending Nyack College at Sing Sing, to more than 650 students attending college preparatory and college programs annually. And many of his coworkers are also alumni “Our staff consists of more than 50% formerly incarcerated people who dedicate their lives to giving people like themselves a second chance.”
