Clothing Drive Launched To Give Prisoners New Life, Confidence

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — Prisoners taking the first steps toward new lives after incarceration will be well-dressed for their journeys.

On Wednesday, Suffolk Legislator Bridget Fleming launched a clothing drive to help Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon's transition and re-entry team.

The START Program helps people both during incarceration and post-incarceration with societal re-entry, Fleming said.

According to the National Institute of Justice, 75 percent of released inmates are re-incarcerated — and New York spends more than $69,000 per year per incarcerated individual.

However, Fleming pointed out, prisoners who participate in work-release programs are 17 percent less likely to return to prison than those who don’t. Reducing the recidivism rate for former prisoners makes communities safer, while lowering the tax burden for law enforcement services, she said.

But inmates often need clothing and supplies to help them dress for success and to bolster self-confidence, she said.

Fleming was joined by Toulon, Kerry Spooner, the founder and president of the Sound-Justice Initiative, and Serena Liguori, the executive director of New Hour LI, to discuss Toulon’s efforts to reduce recidivism and encourage community engagement in the process.

The START program relies on community organizations to help those incarcerated with re-entry, both educationally and with material goods, she said.

"This clothing drive will help so many individuals who are finishing their sentences find local good paying jobs that can help rebuild their lives, and re-enter society with confidence—allowing them to reclaim the American Dream, reducing recidivism and saving taxpayer dollars,” Fleming said.

Toulon added, “The START Program is helping us enter into a new paradigm of justice that works to keep our communities safe and ensure that people leaving prison are put on the right path with dignity.”

Donations, including cleaned or new clothing for men and women, notebooks, pens, and personal hygiene items for New Hour's "dignity bags," will be collected at Fleming's office, located at 75 Washington Street in Sag Harbor, from November 10 to December 31, and will be dropped off at the START program.