RE-ENTRY PROGRAMS
GRASP (the Gender-responsive Re-entry Assistance Support Program) provides comprehensive services and mentoring for adolescents coming home from detention, placement or incarceration, with a focus on younger adults (ages 13-25, female or male). Participation is usually voluntary, though for some participants, it may be a condition of parole. The GRASP participant is someone who has been arrested, adjudicated or convicted of crimes, and is currently or has been recently housed within a facility. She/he may be returning to any borough of New York City, but the focus is on Brooklyn. Participation in the program can range from 6 to 12 months.
Candidates for GRASP are referred from the NYC Agency for Children’s Services (NYCACS), the NYC Department of Probation’s Family Court Unit (NYCDP), the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS), NYC Department of Corrections (NYCDOC), NYS Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS), the NYC Department of Juvenile Probation (NYCDJP).
Historically, GRASP participants have all been female. The programming includes case management, mentoring, job readiness, family support, pre-natal and post-natal support, educational advocacy, group and individual counseling (including anger management), and cultural activities.
ComALERT (Community and Law Enforcement Together) provides support for persons 18 years of age and older transitioning from incarceration — federal, state or city — back into Brooklyn. ComALERT serves as a coordinating and referral agency for various social services needed by formerly-incarcerated individuals.
A ComALERT participant is a formerly-incarcerated individual deemed ineligible to receive services through the Kings County Re-Entry Task Force (KCRTF). ComALERT participants may be under parole supervision or have been under parole supervision; they may be referred by an agency or self-refer; and they must be willing to participate in substance abuse treatment and vocational and educational services as needed.
ComALERT and the KCRTF are located together on the 3rd Floor of the Municipal Building at 210 Joralemon Street, across the street from Brooklyn Borough Hall. To contact ComALERT, call 718-250-3281. Appointments are not required.
The KCRTF (Kings County Re-Entry Task Force) is a joint venture between the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, the NYS Department of Corrections & Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS), and the NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services (NYSDCJS) to provide support for certain adults transitioning from incarceration back into Brooklyn’s communities.
In general, the KCRTF serves as a coordinating and referral agency for various social services needed by formerly-incarcerated individuals released from a NYSDOCCS facility and who have been identified as either highly likely to recidivate or as members of a “special population.”
KCRTF participants are referred by NYSDOCCS and their cases are reviewed by the KCRTF Eligibility Committee, which meets on an ongoing basis. Participants are required to comply with parole mandates and programming identified in their case plan, as developed both pre-release and post-release. Any formerly-incarcerated individual deemed ineligible for KCRTF assistance may be serviced by ComALERT.
The KCRTF and ComALERT are located together on the 3rd Floor of the Municipal Building at 210 Joralemon Street, across the street from Brooklyn Borough Hall. To contact the KCRTF and its Program Administrator, Dr. Vanda Seward, call 718-250-3281. Appointments are not required.