Prisoners are less likely to commit crimes once they are released if they’ve stayed connected to their families and communities.

A new organization, Friends in the Adirondacks, offers hospitality to visiting families of people who are incarcerated in the North Country. The organization’s other mission, said co-founder Martha Swan, is to open hearts and minds of local residents.

Paul Mackey, 34, of Schenectady was sentenced on March 23 to two to four years in state prison for fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property. The sentence was handed down in Albany County Supreme Court by Judge Thomas A. Breslin.