Hispanic Americans for Progress, Inc.

Contact: Patricia Fernandez-Kelly
E-mail: mpfk@princeton.edu

Organization Description and Mission

Hispanic Americans for Progress, Inc. (HAP) is a self help, not-for-profit organization formed by inmates at the New Jersey State Prison (NJSP). Founded on March 15, 1991, by Mr. Jesús Sanabria (Director) and Mr. Carlos Colón (former Assistant Director), HAP was created to assist, educate and inform prisoners as well as the public at large.

Services provided by HAP are not limited to the Hispanic population; our doors are open to all those in need of support, regardless of race, religion, or ethnic background. We also extend assistance to the families and friends of those incarcerated at the New Jersey State Prison (NJSP). Thanks to volunteer contributions, all services offered by HAP are cost effective and present no burden to the taxpayer.

Projects include:

• Support for Kids at Risk Program, SKAR

The SKAR program is a youth educational project that operates within the confines of the NJSP, and is located in working quarters of the HAP.  The purpose is to educate and inform today's youth on the consequences of criminal and social behavior.

• College is Possible! -- Scholars in Residence Program

The purpose of this program is, first, to investigate and discuss the relationship between economic trends over the last three decades and unprecedented rises in the penal population both in the United States and in other parts of the world.

• Free Voice Collective

Participants in the courses offered by College is Possible! are invited to participate in the Free Voice Collective. The objective is for each member to use the knowledge derived from participation in the seminars in the production of instructional essays or mini-research papers.

Publications

• InsideOut

InsideOut is a quarterly publication assembled, published, and edited by prisoners. It contains original essays, artwork, and poetry by inmates at the New Jersey State Prison and, on occasion, contributions by prisoners in other institutions

• Revista Hispanoamericana

This is a cultural magazine published in Spanish by the HAP membership on a quarterly basis. It is distributed to the Hispanic inmate population at the New Jersey State Prison (NJSP) and mailed out of the institution to families, friends and supporters.

Research Questions

• In the past, and thanks to a special grant awarded for this purpose, HAP has partnered with students to publish special editions of their InsideOut literary magazine. These special editions are printed in color and using high quality paper and they are mailed to one thousand schools, foundations, churches and other organizations, etc. HAP is looking for ten students with whom to collaborate in order to prepare the 4th special edition of the magazine.

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