Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison provides college education, life skills and re-entry support to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated men and women to help them make a positive impact on their own lives, their families and communities, resulting in lower rates of recidivism, incarceration and poverty. Hudson Link was founded in 1998, at a time where New York state and federal funding for college education in prisons ceased. The abrupt loss of a college program had a devastating effect on prison morale. As a result, inmates at Sing Sing Correctional Facility reached out to religious and academic volunteers for assistance, which received their immediate response. Today, Hudson Link provides college preparatory and college degree granting program in 6 New York State Correctional Facilities, partnering with Columbia University and Mercy, Nyack, SUNY Ulster, SUNY Sullivan, Siena and Vassar Colleges.