Thank you! to legislative sponsors of the SAFE Parole Act:

Senate: S. 1728 PARKER, Comrie, Espaillat, Hassell-Thompson, Kennedy, Montgomery, Perkins, Rivera, Sanders, Serrano

Assembly: A. 2930 AUBRY, Arroyo, Barrett, Barron, Brennan, Clark, Crespo, Fahy, Farrell, Gottfried, Hevesi, McDonald, Montesano, Mosley, O’Donnell, Ortiz, Perry, Rodriguez, Sepulveda, Skartados, Thiele

 

WHY WE NEED THE S.A.F.E. PAROLE ACT

The Parole Board currently keeps thousands of people in prison who have served their time and are no danger to their communities, denying  parole based on the person’s original crime. This practice:

• Disregards positive achievements, a clean record, remorse, low-risk evaluations, successful programs, family ties, strong re-entry plans, and all other indicators of change
• Focuses solely on the past, the one factor that the parole applicant can never change
• Defeats the basic purpose of parole: a chance for rehabilitation and re-entry
• By using subjective instead of evidence-based criteria for release, fails to protect communities
• Worsens public safety by discouraging rehabilitation
• Causes the repeated suffering of friends and families of the incarcerated person
• Undermines communities and families, disproportionately communities and families of color, by keeping people in prison who would be assets if released

 

New York cannot achieve significant reductions in its prison population without ending punitive parole denials for people convicted of violent crimes who are low risk to re-offend.

• 65% of people incarcerated in New York have been convicted of violent offenses
• 43% of all people in prison in New York – 23,263 people – are serving indeterminate sentences and will come before the parole board at some point
• The parole board holds more than 10,000 hearings each year; its release rate is less than 25%
• People 50 years of age and older are the fastest-growing segment of New York’s prison population
• Long-term older prisoners have a near-zero recidivism rate – yet are routinely denied parole

 

WHAT THE S.A.F.E. PAROLE ACT WILL DO TO CREATE PAROLE JUSTICE

The S.A.F.E. Parole Act requires the Parole Board to evaluate the parole applicant for re-entry readiness based on an extensive set of post-sentencing factors.
If the Board denies parole, it will be required to give the applicant steps to achieve in order to demonstrate readiness for re-entry.
When the parole applicant has fulfilled all the requirements set by the Board, and has demonstrated community readiness and low risk, she or he will be released.

 

MORE THAN 100 NYS ORGANIZATIONS CALL ON THE LEGISLATURE TO PASS, AND THE GOVERNOR TO SIGN, THE S.A.F.E. PAROLE ACT!

 

Parole Justice New York w parolejustice.orgw parolereform@gmail.comw33 Central Ave., Albany NY 12210

 

 

SAFE Parole Act Organizational Endorsers

 

 

 

Advocacy Campaign for Trans Prisoners

Albany County Central Federation of Labor

Albany Friends Meeting

All Things Harlem

Alternative Chance, NYC

Audre Lorde Project, Brooklyn

Avodah Dance Ensemble, NYC

Back to Basics Outreach Ministry, Buffalo

Binghamton Justice Projects

Broken Chains Prison Ministry Outreach, Staten Island

The Bronx Defenders

Brooklyn Defender Services

Buffalo Local Action Committee

Burning Books, Buffalo

Capital Area Against Mass Incarceration, Albany

Center for Community Alternatives, NYC, Syracuse

Center for Law and Justice, Albany

Center for NuLeadership on Urban Solutions, NYC

Central NY Save the Kids, Syracuse

Chaverim Organization, Sullivan Correctional Facility

Chelsea Reform Democratic Club, NYC

Church of Gethsemane, Brooklyn

Citizen Action of New York State

Citizens Against Recidivism, NYC

Coalition for Parole Restoration, NYC

College and Community Fellowship, NYC

Community Service Society, NYC

The Correctional Association of New York

District Council 37, AFSCME

The Drug Policy Alliance

End the New Jim Crow Action Network (Poughkeepsie, Newburg, Kingston, Woodstock)

Episcopal Peace Fellowship of the Ithaca Area

Erie County Prisoners Rights Coalition

Exodus Transitional Community, NYC

Exponents Harm Reduction Coalition, NYC

Focus Churches of Albany

The Fortune Society, NYC

Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition, NYC

Greenhope Services for Women, NYC

Harlem Restoration Project

Hispanics In Progress, Attica Correctional Facility

Hour Children, Long Island City

Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison, Ossining

Incarcerated Nation, NYC

Inside Out Art, NYC

In Your Face, NYC

Ithaca Area Prisoner Justice Network

Jewish Voice for Peace, Albany Chapter

Judicial Process Commission, Rochester

Justice Cmtee., Sisters of St. Joseph, Albany Province

JustLeadership USA

Latinos United Org., Sullivan Correctional Facility

Legal Action Center, NYC

Logan Jaycees, Auburn Correctional Facility

Long Termers Org., Woodbourne  Correctional Facility

Men of All Colors Acting Together, NYC

Milk Not Jails

Morningside Monthly Mtg. Relig. Soc. of Friends, NYC

Narco Freedom, Inc., NYC

Nassau Inmate Advocacy Center, Hempstead

National Action Network Second Chance Committee

Nat. Alliance on Mental Illness-NYS Crim. Justice Cttee

National HIRE Network, NYC

Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem

New York City Jericho Movement

NY Quarterly Mtg Religious Soc.of Friends (Quakers)

New York State Assn. of Criminal Defense Lawyers

New York State Council of Churches

New York State Defenders Association

New York State Defenders Justice Fund

New York State Prisoner Justice Network

New York State Working Families Organization

New York Task Force on Political Prisoners

Opportunities and Change, NYC

The Osborne Association, NYC

Otisville Correctional Facility Lifers & Long Termers

Peaceprints of Western New York, Buffalo

Prison Action Network, Albany

Prison Families Anonymous, Central Islip

Prison Policy Initiative, Massachusetts

Prisoners Are People Too, Buffalo

Prisoners Legal Services of New York

Project CARE, Sullivan Correctional Facility

Release Aging People in Prison

Riverside Church Prison Ministry

Saratoga Peace Alliance

The Sentencing Project, Washington, DC

Social Justice Center of Albany

Social Responsibility Council, 1st Unitarian Soc. Albany

SOhopeful of New York

Solidarity of the Capital District

St. Andrew’s Episc. Chrch Against Mass  Incarc, Albany

Staten Island Exec. Mtg Religious Society of Friends

Stop Prison Abuse

Sylvia Rivera Law Project, New York

The Think Outside the Cell Foundation, New York

Troy Area Labor Council

Veterans Organization, Sullivan Correctional Facility

VOCAL New York

Western New York Peace Center, Buffalo

WORTH Women on the Rise Telling HerStory, NYC

Youth Represent, NYC