A familiar face has returned to City Hall, to run New Haven government’s prison reentry program.
Clifton Graves (pictured) began running the program, Operation Fresh Start, last week. (Click here for more on the program.)
Graves, 61, a 2011 mayoral candidate, used to work for the city as an attorney in the corporation counsel’s office.
In addition to coordinating the work that community agencies from Project MORE to Easter Seals do on behalf of people leaving prison and returning to New Haven, Graves said, he will oversee a mentoring program for offenders to begin six months to a year before their release.
The job currently pays $50,000 a year, out of federal block-grant money. Graves said the administration has made a commitment to “aggressively ” seek more money for the position as well as for outreach efforts.
An estimated 100 people reenter New Haven from jail each month. Easing their transition has emerged as central public-policy goal.
Click here for a story about the short-lived previous occupant of the job.
Congradulations Attorney Graves on your newest position. I can be none other than optimistic of it's outcome. However, I feel it is vitally important that "YOU" play an intricate part in disseminating the facts of BLACK HISTORY to our deteriorated community and systems in place for us now. For if we don't KNOW where we came from, where we are, how we got here, HOW THE HELL CAN WE KNOW WHERE WE ARE GOING AND HOW TO GET THERE? GOD HAS BLESSED YOU (not to keep it) BUT TO BLESS OTHERS. HAIL TO THE KING!