NYS Correctional Seeking Prison Support Volunteers, Can You Help?

There are many ways that you can give back to your community. Have you thought about ways that you can do that? There are many places where you can volunteer, many places that would welcome persons with your life experience.

Where can you volunteer in your community? Are these paid positions? Probably not, but there are many places looking for people with your skills.

The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision is looking for volunteers.

There are prisons, aka correctional facilities, across New York State that are looking for volunteers for many different programs. Yes, this is serious. They are not looking for volunteers to enter the facility as a new inmate, but as persons who can help the inmates.

What type of programs in the correctional facilities are needing volunteers?

Volunteers are needed for these programs like literacy, drama, theater, canine training (think Pitbulls and Parolees), transitional services, and education programs. I have a friend who (for a few years, pre-covid) taught GED classes at a prison.

Do you need to have specific training to volunteer for these Prison programs?

While you do need to be qualified to share the information that you would like to, there is not necessarily a need to hold a degree in it. This is a situation where knowledge and a desire to help others are really what the qualifiers are.

Is everyone who applies to be a volunteer with the correctional facility accepted?

Not necessarily. However, if you have a program that you wish to introduce to the correctional facilities, that you think the currently incarcerated could benefit from, reach out to the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision to apply.