Fresh Start

For almost a decade, the Fresh Start program has worked to break the cycle of recidivism by providing vocational training to inmates at the CIFM facility on Rikers Island -- the world's largest penal colony. Founded in 1989 by Barbara A. Margolis, Fresh Start offers employment training in culinary arts and publishing to inmates of Rikers Island, along with an array of aftercare services upon release, including an advanced culinary arts course and job placement assistance. Armed with solid vocational training in areas with vast employment opportunities in New York City, and access to treatment programs and employment services, Fresh Start graduates have an opportunity to achieve drug-free, crime-free, productive lives.

In 1997, Fresh Start expanded and became a program of the Osborne Association.

How does Fresh Start reach its goals?
The program's goal is to provide meaningful vocational training and post-release services to "revolving door" offenders. These services provide offenders with marketable skills that will enable them to avoid further involvement with the criminal justice system. The culinary arts class must work together to create a five-course meal for guests of their graduation ceremony, and students of the computer/journalism class must work as a team to create and publish a literary magazine, The Rikers Review. This support network reaches beyond the prison walls, as graduates are released and embark on their new lives. Graduates provide support and encouragement to one another.

What is the key ingredient for participants' success?
The success of Fresh Start graduates is a product of several factors, the most significant of which is the strong bond formed among the students and between students and instructors. For many, Fresh Start provides the first stable, support network in their lives, both teaching and allowing students to ask for and accept help when needed, and productively working as part of a team.

Who is eligible for the program?
Inmates at the CIFM facility on Rikers Island learn about Fresh Start through fliers posted in the jail dorms and sign up in the Program Department. Approximately 200 inmates in the jail express interest in joining the program, but only a select few are chosen. These individuals are the inmates who successfully convince Fresh Start interviewers that they have a sincere and deeply felt desire to stay out of jail.

How does the program work?
Fresh Start offers three-month training programs in two areas: culinary arts and publishing. Up to 30 inmates participate at one time; each class has approximately 15 individuals enrolled. The program is run as a workplace; trainees are held to strict standards for attendance, performance, production and professionalism. While the cornerstone of the training involves vocational skills development, additional and equally significant components include groups in conflict resolution, relapse prevention, life skills, public speaking and career counseling, as well as GED or college preparatory classes. Coupled with hands-on vocational training, these groups form a holistic program which works on the "whole" individual with the goal of improving a participant's prospects of gaining and keeping employment.

What happens to graduates after they leave the program?
The success of the program is clearly seen when looking at the graduates' current situations. Recent graduates of our culinary arts program have gone on to work as pot washers, prep cooks and catering assistants, many moving up to chef positions in restaurants and institutional kitchens. Several of the computer/journalism graduates have published articles and essays in New York City magazines and newspapers. For those who do not succeed the first time, Osborne and Fresh Start are there to offer a second or third chance. Fresh Start graduates often return one or more years after their release, in all phases of recovery, asking for help during difficult times. Many graduates from both the culinary arts and computer/journalism classes go on to become counselors at substance abuse programs, helping others to achieve the drug-free, crime-free lives that they have obtained.

How do I contact Fresh Start?

Brooklyn:
Marianna Shturman
Program Director
175 Remsen Street 8th Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11201

Phone: 718.637.6560
Mshturman@osborneny.org

Rikers:
Phone: 718.546.5822