Central in Action is proud to partner with organizations across the city to advocate for a more just and equitable criminal legal system and to walk with people as they come home from jail and prison. Learn more about our partners and initiatives below.

Our Current Work

The Coming Home Program

15 years ago, Dr. Dawn Ravella, Founder of Communities for Healing & Justice, started Coming Home. The 6-month program, now housed at Central, is designed to welcome formerly incarcerated individuals into a supportive cohort. Coming Home seeks to accompany people on this journey as they set goals, heal past traumas, and become active citizens as we all grow together as individuals within our communities.

Would you like to learn more about and volunteer with The Coming Home Program? Please reach out to Emily Bogdan at [email protected] to get involved.

Re-Entry Theater of Harlem

Central is home to the Re-Entry Theater of Harlem (RTH), a program and organization developed by and for people who have lived experience in the U.S. criminal legal system. The mission of RTH is to empower and support people in safe and creative spaces as they make the difficult transition from prison back to society.

RTH utilizes art, rituals, and theatrical rites of passage to help individuals address and overcome the shame, stigma, and trauma of incarceration. Ultimately, participants devise and enact a threshold crossing to mark the formal transition from prison back into their communities and a new stage of life.

Led by Director Alex Anderson, RTH members meet at Central for rehearsal and community-building opportunities. Learn more and support RTH here. 

Central Teshuvah Initiative; A Fellowship for Returning Citizens (CTI) 

Central members organize paid summer internships for people coming home from jail or prison. These cohorts work in public health, public policy, media, and law. With the support of Central mentors and Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison (https://hudsonlink.org/), CTI fellows gain work experience and access to networks in new and exciting job fields. 

Supporting Jewish Life in NYC Jails

Central members travel Rikers Island every month to pray and learn with people on the inside. Email Emily Bogdan at [email protected] if you would like to participate in a worship service.