Osborne's Recent Highlights

December

• Forty years ago, Osborne Association pioneered a new program designed to improve the quality of representation for indigent felony defendants. 
  
  At the time, most were represented by the Legal Aid Society, but the organization was not permitted to represent co-defendants or anyone charged with homicide. 
  
  The court-appointed attorneys these individuals facing serious charges were assigned did not always appeal bail decisions or submit pre-sentence reports. These reports provide background information about a defendant, including histories of mental illness, trauma, or abuse, that can introduce alternatives to incarceration as options where appropriate. 
  
  Called the Assigned Counsel Alternatives Advocacy Project, and then Assigned Counsel Services, Osborne’s program took aim at what its creator, former President and CEO Elizabeth Gaynes, saw as a failure to apply the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution and go beyond the facts and into an indigent defendant’s personal history.  As Liz notes, Osborne was the first organization to receive a grant from New York State’s Alternative to Incarceration funding in the mid-1980s to provide “defender-based advocacy.” The field has grown to include a mitigation specialists who uncover information that explains a defendant’s behavior and helps the court better understand the person before them. 
  
  Over the years, other so-named defender organizations became active in New York City, while Osborne’s work under former EVP of Programs Susan Gottesfeld broadened to include forensic social workers in a wider array of cases and to take cases from defender organizations when their own staff couldn’t. Today, Osborne’s Court Services and Decarceration work has expanded to serve the five boroughs and six northern counties, and to include a range of diversion programs and alternatives to incarceration. Our team continues to partner with defense attorneys to ensure their clients are seen as individuals, providing the advocacy needed to achieve better results in the courtroom. Last year alone, our Court Advocacy Services saved taxpayers $162 million in unnecessary incarceration costs and 1,411 years behind bars for people better served by community-based programs. 
  
  We close out the year with reflections on the impact of Osborne’s decades-long work to see humanity in all our participants and to pursue solutions that will prevent further harm. Read more here.

October

• We are thrilled to announce the “soft launch” of Loved Ones Link, a new, no-cost transportation program that will bring families throughout New York State to visit their incarcerated loved ones in 20 state prisons. The program is designed to help families maintain crucial connections during incarceration that can strengthen their bonds and support successful reentry. Our routes prioritize areas with the highest need and support communities with limited transportation options. For November and December, the program will operate on a limited weekend schedule from our Brooklyn office to Sing Sing, Bedford, Otisville, and Fishkill. More departure cities and prison destinations will be added in January. Families seeking more information can fill out this interest form. Loved Ones Link is a partnership of the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision and Osborne Association.
   
• Thirteen men and seven couples recently graduated from Osborne’s FamilyWorks program in a celebration held on October 24 at Wallkill Correctional Facility. It featured remarks from Chief Program Officer Michelle Howard and Family Services Specialist Stephanie Mortimer, along with a keynote address from former FamilyWorks Senior Clerk Brian T. Shaw and reflections from graduate speaker Ryan Williams. Through parenting and relationship education, FamilyWorks supports incarcerated fathers to strengthen family bonds and prepare for life after release. Joy, a puppy being trained inside as a service dog, was an honorary graduate. Watch this new video showcasing the impact of FamilyWorks on former Osborne clerk Ayman Marji.
   
• Visitors from Austin Community Court sat down with staff last week to learn about our workforce, court advocacy, and LGBTQIA+ services. Prior to that, a police constable from Police Scotland’s National Children and Young People team joined us to learn about our services and advocacy for children of incarcerated parents, including our trainings with law enforcement on safeguarding children during a parent’s arrest. And Osborne’s Petal Fogenay-Foster, a formerly incarcerated veteran, was a keynote speaker at The Center’s 2025 In My Mind conference, focused on mental health topics for BIPOC veterans who identify as LGBTQIA+.
   
• Osborne’s LGBTQIA+ Case Management program will host our annual Transgender Day of Remembrance from 12 to 4pm on Tuesday, November 18, at Bronx River Art Center. Honoring those lost to violence this year as well as community resilience, the event will feature a speaking program and a display of art by program participants — who find community and connections to housing, jobs, and even clothing when they enter our Bronx office.  People who identify as LGBTQIA+ continue to be overrepresented at every stage of the criminal legal system due to discrimination, outdated laws, economic marginalization, and a range of factors.