For nearly 30 years, Hudson Link for Higher Education has provided higher education opportunities to incarcerated people in New York State, as well as reentry resources and support upon their release.
In collaboration with accredited institutions of higher learning, Hudson Link’s college program is the core of our work. Each one of these sites has a Hudson Link Academic Coordinator to administer the college program inside the facility to ensure student success and move students through the program to a degree.
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Hudson Link’s College Preparatory School supports students from their first steps toward higher education. To enroll in a Hudson Link college program, students must hold a high school diploma or GED and complete a college placement exam. Our one-year, six-course College Prep curriculum is designed to build academic foundations, strengthen study skills, and prepare students for the rigor of college-level coursework. Upon completion, students take a placement exam to determine their readiness to begin degree-track classes.
In collaboration with accredited colleges and universities, Hudson Link provides Associate and Bachelor’s degree programs across five correctional facilities in New York State. Each site is supported by a dedicated Academic Coordinator and strong partnerships with Columbia University, SUNY New Paltz, Columbia-Greene Community College, Marymount Manhattan College, Mercy University, Mount Saint Mary College, and SUNY Ulster. Together, we offer degree pathways in Behavioral Science, Liberal Arts, and Human Rights, ensuring students receive rigorous, high-quality educational opportunities.
Hudson Link remains committed to students well beyond the classroom. At each facility, alumni serve as Assistant Academic Coordinators, providing peer mentorship, academic support, and leadership. Graduates also contribute as tutors, mentors, and exam proctors, fostering a collaborative learning environment that strengthens academic success. This student-centered model not only supports degree completion, but also cultivates confidence, career readiness, and a strong community of scholars.
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Hudson Link provides support for students and alumni to support their successful transition to their communities post-incarceration. Our team offers comprehensive case management services for students throughout New York state and beyond, provides supplies including digital technology, apparel, and essential toiletries, and works to ensure opportunities for continued education, degree completion, life skills training, and community building. The Hudson Link Transitional Services team prides itself on centering the voices of alumni as we build out additional services, and partners with reentry and community organizations to provide a steady stream of supportive services.
If alumni are interested in finishing the degrees they started while inside or pursuing further credentials, our Finish Line Coordinator provides personalized guidance every step of the way. We assist with selecting schools, navigating applications, and understanding financial aid options. Throughout their studies, alumni receive ongoing support to access campus resources, overcome barriers, and achieve their educational goals. We also offer financial assistance for tuition gaps, textbooks, transportation, and essential needs such as childcare.
We are thrilled to have transformed 'The Boutique' from our office into a charming storefront next to our headquarters. Adorned with purple and gold furnishings and a hand-painted mural by an alumni artist, The Boutique embraces alumni with understanding, laughter, and tears, offering professional attire, apparel, and essential toiletries. We also provide personalized support, including a cell phone and laptop with technical assistance, to each alumnus at the start of their reentry journey.
Hudson Link alumni connect through regular in-person gatherings across various regions of New York State, fostering a sense of community and support. These gatherings are complemented by essential workshops focused on vocational training, employment services, and financial literacy. By empowering alumni with practical skills and knowledge, we aim to enhance their personal and professional growth. Together, we are building a robust network that supports successful reintegration and long-term success.
With our New Beginnings initiative, Hudson Link is leading the way by utilizing the efforts of our released alumni to construct transitional housing intended to improve outcomes for other returning citizens. Our people rebuild local homes – while rebuilding their lives.
The core of New Beginnings is the transformative initiative to purchase and rehabilitate dilapidated housing near our Ossining, New York office. Hudson Link alumni actively participate in renovating these properties, collaborating with skilled trade professionals to gain invaluable, real-world experience. This hands-on involvement fosters a sense of value, accomplishment, and self-reliance, laying a strong foundation for future employment. Through this empowerment, we aim to uplift formerly incarcerated people, enabling them to enhance their own lives and inspire those who follow in their footsteps.
Through New Beginnings, we offer safe, stable, and restorative housing at no cost to people returning home after incarceration. Our transitional homes provide a supportive community where residents can focus on healing, personal growth, and rebuilding their lives with dignity. With space for more than twenty residents, each home fosters accountability, connection, and access to vital resources for long-term success. Every individual is welcomed into an environment grounded in compassion, opportunity, and hope for a brighter future.
In addition to providing safe and stable housing, New Beginnings offers newly released alumni comprehensive case management support to further their education, secure housing, find employment, and effectively reintegrate into their communities. While Hudson Link has historically offered informal support to address specific needs, we are thrilled to now have a dedicated staff member focused on delivering clinical wraparound services essential for transitioning from prison to community life. Our newly appointed Reentry Case Manager works directly with residents in our New Beginnings housing program and Hudson Link alumni to connect them with tailored services, allied organizations, and life-skill resources.
Our Strategic Initiatives work helps Hudson Link achieve our goals of ensuring people who are currently and formerly incarcerated have better access to quality higher education and opportunities. In order to accomplish this, we partake in advocacy, organizing, and special programming. We engage our alumni and students in this work, as we believe they should be empowered to use their own voices for the changes they want to see in their communities.
Hudson Link advances policies that expand access to higher education and opportunities for people who are currently and formerly incarcerated. Working alongside students, alumni, and statewide partners, we help shape legislation and public understanding of the importance of college in prison. Our advocacy has contributed to significant wins, including the reinstatement of state financial aid for incarcerated students after a 26-year ban, opening doors for thousands of people seeking education and a better future.
We believe that the people most directly impacted by incarceration should lead the conversations about change. Through programs such as Beyond the Block: Voices from Sing Sing, Hudson Link elevates the lived experiences, insight, and leadership of our students and alumni. Our speaker series, public dialogues, and storytelling initiatives bring these voices into classrooms, legislatures, media spaces, and community forums—shifting narratives and inspiring action.
Hudson Link plays a key role in shaping the future of higher education in prison. As an active member and peer leader within the New York Consortium on Higher Education in Prison (NYCHEP) and the annual Rise Up Conference we help guide best practices, expand program quality, and promote student-centered approaches across the field. We also support students in co-creating Hudson Link’s policy priorities and organizing strategic campaign goals including our involvement in Clean Slate New York and Communities Not Cages, strengthening pathways to opportunity beyond the prison walls.
