Harry's Story

"I've been on parole three times before and this is the first time I've completed parole without a violation. I credit God and CCA with this.

I was in the Oneida Correctional Facility and got pre-release screening for HIV through CCA. The CCA staff person helped me out with a discharge plan. I was granted parole and referred to CCA in New York City. I attended the program and then was invited to become a buddy and later I took the peer education training. Danny Diaz was my counselor, God Bless him, and he helped me get my apartment where I still live today. Without stability it is hard to maintain your health.

There have been many times I've come to my support group and I've cried because I was scared of me. My support group was very important. I've replaced using [drugs] with my love of helping others, with giving back. CCA has helped me to maintain my stability, including economic stability. It has helped me stay far away from criminal activity.

I do HIV education at all the parole sites in Brooklyn and Manhattan and in six prisons in New York State. I got permission from the State of New York to do counseling while I was still on parole. For me it is a feeling of not leaving everybody behind."

— Harry