Alternatives to Incarceration
Court advocates are the foundation of our Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI) programs. These dedicated Fortune staff members work with defense attorneys, prosecutors and judges to obtain non-incarcerative sentences for carefully screened defendants. We go after the hardest cases: one of the conditions for entry into our ATI programs is that clients must be facing at least a year of jail or prison time.
Fortune currently boasts six different ATI programs, including:
- Nueva Vida for Spanish speaking persons;
- FlameTree for clients with serious substance abuse histories; and
- DAMAS (Daughters and Mothers ATI Services), designed specifically to address the needs of women.
Regardless of the program they’re assigned to, clients work with Fortune counselors to develop a comprehensive service plan. ATI clients initially come to our offices five days a week for an average of six months, though the length of stay depends on the progress of the client and the seriousness of the offense. Clients must also submit to a daily retinal scan which detects variance and the possibility of drug use. After completing the program, successful participants receive sentences that often require no further incarceration.
Fortune’s Alternatives to Incarceration programs reduce the prison and jail population, save taxpayers millions of dollars and help thousands to help lead crime-free, productive lives. In 2006, our ATI programs saved the community over $6.5 million in displaced jail and prison time.
___________________
For additional information about our Alternatives to Incarceration program, please contact Peggy Arroyo, Senior Director of ATI and Family Services, at or 212-691-7554, ext. 235.
