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Reclaim the lives of persons affected by incarceration. Provide supervised residence for parolees so that they may successfully make a transition back into society.

Description:
Cephas conducts support groups for men and women in several state prisons in western New York. All groups are conducted by trained volunteers. We also provide a transitional residence for men on parole, housing up to 8 men in single rooms for 3 to 6 months post-release from prison. Our residents and staff regularly speak to high school and college classes about incarceration and life in prison.

History:
Cephas began shortly after the Attica riot of 1971, in which 43 people died and 80 people were injured. The first volunteers visited Attica to listen to inmate concerns and advocate for them. Over time, the groups focused on helping inmates talk about their criminal behavior, take responsibility for their actions, and begin to change the way they think and act. Transitional housing existed on Arnett Blvd. in Rochester for many years. Parolees were helped with employment, and they continued to work on their individual problems in groups. For men who complete the transitional program, nearly 70% remain out of prison and do not commit new crimes, giving back to the community instead of taking from it. The current transitional residence follows the same model.

Contact people:

Robert Miller, Program Director, (phone), (email) Linda Heffron, Assistant Manager, (phone), (email)

Address:

102 N. Union St. Rochester, NY 14607 (See a map)

Directions:

Corner of N. Union St. and E. Main St. Next to Monro Muffler and near WDKX.   Nearest Bus Stop: Any line using E. Main St., 1 minute walk

Overall Experience   
I was part of the Cephas community

I was taken in by Cephas - and even though my struggles took me back again to prison, the life changing lessons I learned from these amazing people profoundly changed my life. It was their teachings and love that helped me to use the prison time to continue in my walk with God to a good life. posted by Beanie on March 20, 2006