The RISE Partnership is the 501(c)(3) corporation giving support and assistance to federal Reentry Courts and federal supervisees. Its purpose is to make a demonstrable difference in people’s lives.
If it is doable, it can be demonstrated. If it is doable, it must be demonstrated.
Reentry Courts help individuals reentering society build stable and meaningful lives, guided by a unique bond with a federal judge.
Reentry Courts appeared in 2010 in New York City and Philadelphia. They were encouraged by Attorney General Eric Holder. There is currently no designated federal funding for these courts.
The late Federal Judge Harold Baer presided over the first Reentry Court in New York City. He was assisted by his law clerk Hakeem Jefferies, now Majority Leader of the House of Representatives.
In Philadelphia, Third Circuit Court Judge Felipe Restrepo and Magistrate Judge Timothy Rice established two Reentry Courts, the STAR Court (Supervision to Aid Re-Entry), which continue to serve as a national model.
Inspired by the STAR Court, Federal Judge Denise Cote initiated the RISE Court (Reentry through Intensive Supervision and Employment) in the Southern District of New York, which has grown to five courts in Manhattan and White Plains, New York.
Building on the experience of the RISE Court and with the assistance of Judge Cote, Federal Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall became the first presiding judge of the RAISE Court (Reentry Assistance and Initiatives Supporting Everyone) in the Eastern District of New York, joined by Federal Judge Ramon Reyes.
Other significant Reentry Courts exist in Ohio, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and elsewhere, whose stories will unfold in these pages.
