Prison Reentry Initiative
Office of the Mayor
165 Church Street, Second Floor
Tel. (203) 946-7658 / Fax (203) 946-7908
E-mail: ameek@newhavenct.net
MISSION
Launched in 2008, the Prison Reentry Initiative works with community partners, state agencies and other reentry stakeholders to support the reintegration of formerly incarcerated residents into the New Haven community.
THE REENTRY INITIATIVE CAN HELP YOU:
(The information on this website is intended to be helpful for those reentering the community after incarceration, but is not intended as legal advice for an individual situation. If you need legal assistance, please call Statewide Legal Services at 1-800-453-3320 or consult an attorney).
COMMUNITY REENTRY RESOURCES IN NEW HAVEN
The online version of the Reentry Resource Guide is regularly updated - the date at the bottom of each page will reflect the most recent update. If you would like to suggest Additions or Corrections to the most recent version of the Guide, please send an email to ameek@newhavenct.net or call 203-946-7658. Our goal is to ensure that individuals returning from incarceration, their families, service providers and other stakeholders will be able to access the most up-to-date and comprehensive information about New Haven Reentry Resources.
Hard copies of the Guide are available at New Haven City Hall. To obtain multiple hard copies, please contact the Prison Reentry Initiative in advance with your request.
FOR JOB SEEKERS
Looking for work after a felony conviction? Make sure your potential employer knows about these programs!
Work Opportunity Tax Credit
Provides a tax credit to employers who hire individuals with felony convictions. Earn a Federal tax credit per qualified individual hired through the WOTC administered by the Connecticut Department of Labor (DOL) Employment Services (ES) Operations Tax Credit Unit. It's easy: there is no limit on the number of people you can hire under this program, and only minimal paperwork must be filed to claim a tax credit.
Federal Bonding Program
(NOTE: The Federal Bonding Program is not currently available through the Connecticut Department of Labor.) The Federal Bonding Program was created by U.S. Department of Labor in 1966 as an incentive to employers to hire job seekers who were “At Risk” and formerly classified as “Not Bondable” by commercial carriers, including people with conviction records. The bond is given to the employer free of charge for six months of coverage. After the six months has elapsed, employers can purchase additional bonding from Travelers if the worker has demonstrated job honesty under the original six month bond. The bond insures the employer for any type of stealing by theft, forgery, larceny or embezzlement.
- Job-Related Information on Background Checks and Provisional Pardons
Wondering what a potential employer will see on a background check? In general, employers can get information about your record from a credit report, the state police, and/or a national record check. The background check will generally show any and all past convictions, but should not show charges that have been erased.
In Connecticut, a charge must generally be erased from your record if:
- the charge was dismissed;
- you were found not guilty of the charge;
- the charge was continued at least 13 months ago;
- you completed probation in an accelerated rehabilitation program for the charge; or
- the charge was nolled at least 13 months ago (As of Oct. 2009, this includes incidents where there were several charges from one arrest and some ended in convictions).
If a charge has been erased from your record, you can truthfully answer “NO” to questions about whether you were arrested, charged, or convicted on that charge.
For more information about background checks and employment (in English and Spanish), see:
Is Your Criminal Record Keeping You From Working? (CT Statewide Legal Services)
Questions and Answers about Employment and Your Criminal Record (CT Statewide Legal Services)
En Espanol: Preguntas & Respuestas Sobre - El Empleo y Su Récord Criminal
Concerned about the effect a past conviction may have on your job search? You can apply for a provisional pardon at any time. See this website’s section on pardons for more information
Self-Help Guides: Work/Unemployment & Criminal Records (Connecticut Network for Legal Aid)
Guías Para Autoayuda: Desempleo/Empleo & Records Criminales
OBTAINING IDENTIFICATION
Getting a Voter Registration Card
Guide to Obtaining Birth Certificates in the 50 States
Birth Certificate Applications: New Haven, Puerto Rico and the 50 States
New Haven Bureau of Vital Statistics
Elm City Resident Card
"BAN THE BOX" ANTIDISCRIMINATION ORDINANCE
Drafted by the City’s Community Services Administration, this ordinance—approved by the Board of Aldermen by a vote of 22 to 1 on February 17, 2009—removes from all City job applications the “box” or query relating to an applicant’s conviction history. Under this ordinance, the City may inquire about any conviction history an applicant may have only after it has made the applicant a provisional offer of employment on the basis of that individual’s qualifications. In addition, vendors contracting with the City must, under the ordinance, attest that they have hiring policies consistent with the City’s own.
Ban the Box Ordinance
Why Ban the Box?
New Haven Independent (December 15, 2008)
New Haven Register (March 5, 2009)
Cities Pave the Way: Promising Reentry Policies that Promote Local Hiring of People with Criminal Records (National Employment Law Project and National League of Cities Institute for Youth, Education, and Families
The Connecticut General Assembly passed a law in June 2010 to "ban the box" on job applications for public agencies in Connecticut. Effective October 1, 2010, Connecticut state agencies, boards, and commissions will be prohibited from inquiring about a prospective employee's past convictions until such prospective employee has been deemed otherwise qualified for the position.
Connecticut Ban the Box Act
New Haven Advocate (July 6, 2010)
PARDONS AND PROVISIONAL PARDONS
There are two types of pardons:
- You can apply for a provisional pardon at any time, no matter how recent the conviction. If you are on parole or probation, you can apply for a provisional pardon as long as your supervising officer fills out the required form. A provisional pardon is for employment purposes: it states that you are employable and makes it illegal for employers to deny employment based on your criminal record.
- You can apply for an expungement pardon 3 years after the disposition date of your most recent misdemeanor conviction and/or 5 years after the disposition date of your most recent felony conviction. An expungement pardon erases the official criminal record.
For application materials for a provisional pardon and/or an expungement pardon, go to:
Connecticut Board of Pardons and Paroles
Frequently Asked Questions About Pardons and Provisional Pardons (Board of Pardons & Paroles)
Other useful information about pardons in Connecticut can be found at:
Connecticut Pardon Team, Inc.
Pardon Hearing Dates
Parole Hearing Schedules
VOTING RIGHTS
Getting a voter registration card is simple, and you can use a voter registration card to help you get a copy of your birth certificate, or other forms of ID. If you’re on probation, if you’ve completed your sentence, or if you were only convicted of a misdemeanor, you are eligible to vote. You are only ineligible for a voter registration card if you were convicted of a felony and you are still on parole.
For more information about restoring your vote (in English and Spanish), go to:
Restore Your Vote Brochure (in English)
Restaure su Voto (en Espanol)
- How to Get a Voter Registration Card
To get a voter registration card, you only need to fill out a one-page mail-in voter registration form. You must bring or mail the form to the Town Hall or City Hall for the town or city where you live. The New Haven Registrar of Voters is located on the second floor at 200 Orange Street, New Haven, CT 06510.
For voter registration forms (in English and Spanish), go to:
English Language Voter Registration Form
Spanish Language Voter Registration Form
To find the address for the Town Hall or City Hall for the town or city where you live, go to:
Registrars of Voters Office Addresses
REENTRY NEWS
New Haven Independent: City Hall Rally Pushes for State 'Ban the Box' Law
New Haven Register: New Haven felons stymied by 'the question'
New Haven Independent: Ex-Offenders Jump at New Public Housing Spots
USA TODAY: Study could ease concerns over hiring ex-offenders
'Redemption' in an Era of Widespread Criminal Background Checks
What's Wrong With Our Prisons?
OTHER USEFUL LINKS
Building Bridges: From Conviction to Employment (2003)
Connecticut Law About Criminal Records
GNH Community
Open Society Institute: Justice Reinvestment
Reentry Policy Council
Reentry Net (NYC)
Prison Reentry (Urban Institute)
National Reentry Resource Center
