NYC Council passes resolution supporting parole reforms amid growing advocacy

December 28, 2023 Robert Abruzzese, Courthouse Editor

Council Speaker Adrienne Adams (center) speaks with Councilmembers Crystal Hudson (left) and Lynn Schulman at City Hall, March 25, 2022.
Photo courtesy of NYC Council

Share this:

The New York City Council has taken a significant step towards criminal justice reform by passing a resolution which urges the New York State Legislature and Governor Kathy Hochul to enact the Fair & Timely Parole and Elder Parole bills.

These reform measures aim to modernize the parole system by providing individualized, case-by-case evaluations for parole supervision of inmates in New York State prisons, particularly benefiting older and long-term incarcerated individuals.

Jose Saldana, director of the Release Aging People in Prison Campaign, applauded the council’s action. The proposed bills are seen as crucial steps in elder justice, anti-poverty measures, and racial equity, he explained.

“We are encouraged by our City Council taking the lead and passing this resolution which offers a real path to community safety and healing for families and communities torn apart by mass incarceration,” Saldana said. “The Elder Parole and Fair & Timely Parole bills take aim at the conditions that lead to violence. They are elder justice measures. They are anti-poverty measures. They are anti-racist policies. They are pro-family policies. And they will return mentors and leaders to our communities, where they are needed most.”

Speaker Adrienne Adams emphasized the reform’s public health and fiscal benefits, noting that older adults in prison have the lowest recidivism rates, making extended incarceration counterproductive and costly.

Council Member Crystal Hudson, chair of the Aging Committee and lead sponsor of the resolution, highlighted the disproportionate impact of mass incarceration on Black and Brown elders and their families. She urged state legislators to pass these bills, describing them as essential for New York to become a more compassionate and safer state.

“Mass incarceration is an aging issue, particularly for Black and Brown elders and their families. One in four incarcerated New Yorkers is an older adult, and this proportion will only grow, with a devastating fiscal and moral cost, unless the state legislature and governor enact Elder Parole and Fair & Timely Parole,” Hudson said. “Passing these bills would be a tangible step toward addressing the harms of the draconian policies and practices that led to mass incarceration.

“They offer New York a path to become a more compassionate state and a safer state — one that affirms life and dignity for all people, from Brooklyn to Buffalo,” Hudson added.

Phil Desgranges from The Legal Aid Society pointed out the flaws in New York’s current parole system and the need for these bills, which have garnered widespread support, including from law enforcement.

Data shows that 15 percent of people in New York State prisons are age 55 or older, and many of them lack fair avenues for release consideration. Advocates argue that these reforms would not only reunite families and bring community leaders home but also save an estimated $522 million annually, according to a Columbia University Center for Justice report.

The resolution’s passage coincides with a growing consensus among crime victim advocates, public defenders, and district attorneys for the need for parole reforms. A recent study in the Journal of Quantitative Criminology also supports the idea that the parole board could significantly increase release rates without affecting public safety, addressing existing racial disparities in the process.