Legal resources for people in prison in New York

Prisoners' Legal Services of New York

41 State Street, Suite M112

Albany, NY 12207

http://www.plsny.org/

(518) 445-6050 (fax)

518-445-6053 (phone)


Serves: NY


Focus area/description: Prisoners' Legal Services of New York (PLS) provides free civil legal services to indigent New York state prisoners on issues associated with their conditions of confinement. The decision to assist with any particular case depends on the issue or problem presented, the chance of success, the amount of time and resources necessary to properly assist, the office's resources, staff availability and caseload. PLS is also happy to provide self-help and informational materials to prisoners. If you or a family member have an issue that you believe PLS can assist you with, please feel free to contact their office by mail.
Prisoners' Legal Services regional offices are:

Albany
41 State St., Suite M112
Albany NY 12207
518-438-8046 (phone) (518)438-6643 (fax)

Ithaca
114 Prospect St.
Ithaca NY 14850
607-273-2283 (phone) 607-272-9122 (fax)

Plattsburgh
518-561-3088 (phone)

Buffalo
14 Lafayette Square, Suite 510
Buffalo NY 14203
716-854-1007 (phone) 716-854-1008 (fax)

Newburgh
10 Little Britain Rd
Ste. 201 & 2014
Newburgh, NY 12550
845-391-3110 (phone) 845-684-3372 (fax)

Prisoners' Legal Services of New York confirmed this listing on September 29, 2022.


These national resources may also be of help to people in prison in New York:

Equal Justice Initiative

122 Commerce Street

Montgomery, AL 36104

http://www.eji.org/

(334) 269-1806 (fax)

334-269-1803 (phone)


Serves: National,AL


Focus area/description: EJI litigates on behalf of condemned prisoners, juvenile offenders, people wrongly convicted or charged with violent crimes, poor people denied effective representation, and others whose trials are marked by racial bias or prosecutorial misconduct. EJI works with communities that have been marginalized by poverty and discouraged by unequal treatment, and serves the state of Alabama and the Deep South in general, working nationally on selected issues. EJI also prepares reports, newsletters and manuals to assist advocates and policymakers in the critically important work of reforming the administration of criminal justice.

Equal Justice Initiative confirmed this listing on September 29, 2022.


A challenge to our colleagues:

We built the internet's first always-up-to-date list of legal services for incarcerated people. Can you make a similar list for a different kind of resource?

Problem: There are too many outdated resource lists floating around.

Our Solution: Have one resource list that one organization checks each year.

Our Method: Inspired by the Cincinnati Books for Prisoners group, we made a list of every legal services organization on every resource list we could find. Then we send a letter by snail mail to each organization each year asking them to confirm/update their listing. If they respond, we include them on the site for the next 365 days. All the organization needs to do is to sign the form we send them and mail it back in the enclosed envelope. If they don't respond, we keep them on our mailing list and try again next year.

This way, any incarcerated person using the list can be assured that the organization they are writing to recently did exist and was responding to mail. And if an organization fails to respond for some reason (staff turnover, postal problems, the dog ate our letter, etc.) they get another chance next year.

It's a win for everyone. We've built a database for legal services. What list can your organization edit?



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