The New York Consortium for Higher Education in Prison (NY-CHEP) was first conceptualized in 2015. A group came together to formulate a press release on July 31, 2015 hailing the Obama Administration’s launch of the Second Chance Pell program.
During late 2015 and early 2016 there were conversations about launching an organization, with participants from the Bedford Hills College Program, Borough of Manhattan Community College, Columbia University, Cornell University, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Hudson Link, John Jay College Prisoner Reentry Institute, Medaille College, Mohawk Valley Community College, New York University, SUNY Plattsburgh and Vassar College.
In October 2016, a small conference was hosted by Cornell University with an evening at Five Points Correctional Facility. During this conference, meetings focused on formulating a mission statement, and plans for moving forward with more regularity as a consortium.
During October 20-22, 2017 a second conference was hosted by Columbia University with an evening at Sing Sing Correctional Facility hosted by Hudson Link. Meetings featured discussions focused on policy, with former Secretary of State John King Jr. and NY state government joining the conversation.
Photo provided by Hudson Link/Babita Patel
On March 30, 2018 a meeting was convened at the new headquarters of Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison in Ossining, NY. The meeting featured presentations by the Prisoner Reentry Institute of John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
Photo provided by Hudson Link/Babita Patel
During Sept. 28-30, 2018 NY-CHEP convened with other program leaders from around the country in a special gathering sponsored by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, with an evening at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for women hosted by Marymount Manhattan College. At right, students pose with Prof. Suzanne Gardinier at Bedford Hills.
Photo provided by Hudson Link/Babita Patel
On March 25, 2020 NY-CHEP wrote a letter to the NY Corrections Commissioner in response to the Covid-19 program suspensions. Since the pandemic, the consortium has been meeting regularly to share updates, strategies, and create tools and resources to respond to the challenges of COVID-19, the changing political climate of the field, and meet the needs of our students inside and being released from students. . On May 1, 2020 NY-CHEP announced that it was donating protective masks to the entire incarcerated population in New York state. In the of Fall 2020, NYCHEP also testified at NYS Senate Hearing on the Impact of COVID on jails and prisons.
2021- Present
As the field began to move beyond the immediate crisis of the pandemic, NY-CHEP’s regular meetings evolved from weekly crisis-response gatherings into an ongoing forum for connection, information sharing, collaboration, and mutual support. The consortium currently meets on the first Friday of each month, with additional meetings convened as needed to respond to emerging issues and support the work of member programs. This ongoing structure reflects NY-CHEP’s continued commitment to strengthening higher education in prison across New York State through collaboration, shared learning, and collective action.
*Banner image provided by Bard Prison Initiative, (c) Pete Mauney