Our Direct Service Programs

Providing a variety of services  to court-impacted, incarcerated, and formerly-incarcerated individuals

Riker’s Debate Project

Pardon Project

Connecting Through Literacy-CLICC

Next Level Empowerment Program

New Haven Free Public Library (NHFPL)

Zealous

This direct service group works alongside the Rikers Debate Project (RDP), a program that teaches inmates at Riker’s Island “competitive debate skills” for use in everyday life. YUPP is one of multiple partners who create weekly lesson plans for the students at Riker’s to use. 

The Yale students within the group select debate topics by researching and discussing current events and social policy. They then select a skills topic from the list given by RDP that matches well with the week’s debate topic. Some past lesson plans have covered:

  • Carceral disenfranchisement in New York State

  • Eliminating cash bail for low-income defendants accused of some crimes

  • Removing occupation and employment restrictions based on prior incarceration status

The skills lesson plans have covered evaluating evidence, public speaking, moral philosophies, evaluating evidence, separating fact from opinion, crystallization, arguing both sides, ARE (assertion, reasoning, evidence), and counter plans. 

This direct service group assists returning citizens with the pardon application process that would allow them to clear their criminal records. 

This program was formerly in partnership with Project Fresh Start, the City of New Haven's Reentry Department. As a member of the Pardon Program, you will work one-in-one with returning citizens as well as leading pardon workshops for larger numbers of individuals.

This group supports children of incarcerated individuals in strengthening their family ties. You will mentor children (ages 5-17) to encourage regular communication with their parents in prison and to enhance literary outcomes. Children will pick out a book and write letters back and forth with their parents about what they have been reading. Mentors support them through fun literacy activities and by being a consistent, encouraging presence.

Mentorship can take either in-person at New Haven library branches or virtually.

NLEP is a New Haven-based reentry organization focused on creating a supportive community for system-impacted families. Their mission is to become a conduit for returning citizens and their families, providing individualized and appropriate services that are needs-based, readily accessible, and equitably distributed. During the 2024-2025 school year, YUPP will offer a Direct Service Internship program sponsored by NLEP.

We are partnering with the New Haven Free Public Library to host a series of workshops for justice-impacted individuals and anyone else in need who might want assistance in these areas. Each workshop will consist of two concurrent sessions: CV/Resume training and tech help office hours.

In a partnership with the amazing team from Zealous, this YUPP group will work to finalize a toolkit detailing numerous insights and reflections on practices for in-prison programming. These insights have been gathered from interviews with current program facilitators and formerly incarcerated individuals, for programs that work within carceral settings.