Partners

OAR

For the past forty years, OAR has been protecting the civil liberties of those incarcerated in the Tompkins County Jail and assisting with their transition back into the community after incarceration. As a program of OAR, CIU has access to all of OAR’s services, including assigned counsel, reentry services, and assistance with housing and employment. CIU is also able to meet with individuals incarcerated in the Tompkins County Jail who are interested in attending college after release. Please visit OAR's website to learn more about the incredible work they do.

Tompkins County and Ithaca City Courts

As an Alternative to Incarceration, CIU works in close collaboration with the local court system, judges, and specialty courts – including the Felony and Family Treatment Courts. Judges and Treatment courts refer potential students to CIU for one-on-one Orientation Sessions. This gives court-involved individuals the opportunity to either explore higher education for the first time in their lives or reconnect with an interrupted course of study. CIU works with any eligible defendant, from those having pending cases to those already incarcerated. The courts accept attendance of CIU Orientation/ College Prep in lieu of community service, and in some cases, in lieu of incarceration. However, participation in CIU programs is always voluntary. To read a quote by Tompkins County Court Judge Scott Miller in support of CIU as an ATI, please visit our About page.

Tompkins County Department of Probation and Community Justice

Probation is a one of the primary agencies that refers potential students to CIU. Referrals come through Probation Officers who encourage probationers to explore their next educational step, as well as through Day Reporting. Individuals attend the Day Reporting Program as a condition of probation or violation of probation, as a Drug Court sanction, as a pre-trial supervised release, or during re-entry into the community following a period of incarceration.

Tompkins Cortland Community College/TC3

TC3 is CIU’s primary partner for anything academic and it is the college that the majority of CIU’s enrolled students attend. TC3’s diverse areas of study allow for the growth and exposure to educational opportunities that change the trajectory of student lives, and they line up with the workforce opportunities in the Tompkins County area. Additionally, CIU’s College Prep ATI sessions are held under the umbrella of TC3 Biz, which allows us to offer our classes at the TC3 Extension Center on the Ithaca Commons. To learn more about TC3, please visit their website.