Exodus Transitional Community, Inc. To Honor Assembly Member Daniel O’Donnell

NEW YORK - Oct. 21, 2014 - PRLog -- At its Sixth Annual Legislative Breakfast, Exodus Transitional Community will honor New York Assembly Member Daniel O’Donnell, Chair of the Committee on Correction. The Legislative Breakfast is an opportunity for political leaders to discuss key issues that affect the local community. It is also an opportunity for Exodus to honor individuals for their efforts towards fairer and more humane policies in the Criminal Justice system.

Exodus will be honoring Assembly Member O’Donnell for several initiatives. He has championed parole reforms to reduce mass incarceration and to enable released individuals to successfully transition back to their families and communities. In the Correction Committee, he guided passage of two bills to protect juveniles and pregnant mothers from the damaging effects of solitary confinement. According to Exodus’s Executive Director, Mr. Julio Medina, "Assembly Member O’Donnell provides crucial leadership to protect vulnerable groups while they are in prison. He also understands the need for policies that give people a fair chance at parole and at re-entering society. Successful reentry policies are beneficial not just for individuals and their families, but also have statewide impact, as less tax dollars are needed to imprison people."

Exodus is a faith-based organization that supports formerly incarcerated individuals as they transition from prison and back into society. Such individuals face many challenges that can lead them back to prison. Exodus breaks that vicious cycle by offering transitional support to make sure individuals get every chance to succeed. Services for participants include coaching to re-establish family relationships, help obtaining crucial educational certifications and occupational skills, job search and interviewing support, reducing the risks posed by substance abuse, and fostering stronger ties in the community through volunteerism. Exodus is headquartered in the Harlem area of New York City, with an office in Poughkeepsie, NY, and a new location in Newburgh, NY. Since 1999 Exodus has helped over 7,000 participants rebuild their lives after prison.

The Sixth Annual Legislative Breakfast will be at 8:30 AM on Thursday, October 23, 2014 at Exodus’s Harlem office, 2271 3rd Avenue, New York, NY, 10035.

For more information about Exodus Transitional Community, Inc., visit: www.etcny.org.