Press Advisory – Report Embargoed until 12 p.m. on Friday, Oct 28, 2016
Contact: gabriel sayegh (646) 335-2264
Event at Harvard Club to Launch New Report:
Better by Half: The New York City Story of Winning Large-Scale Decarceration while Increasing Public Safety
Report Details How New York City Cut Incarceration by 50%
While Becoming the Nation’s Safest Large City
New York: New York City’s sustained and dramatic reductions in incarceration and crime rates point to strategies to safely and significantly cut imprisoned populations in other cities and states, according to a new publication by Judith Greene and Vincent Schiraldi, entitled Better by Half: The New York City Story of Winning Large-Scale Decarceration While Increasing Public Safety.
Although the city once struggled with overflowing jail populations and high rates of violent crime, New York City cut its combined jail and prison incarceration rate by 55 percent between 1996-2014, while serious (index) crime fell by 58 percent. By contrast, the national incarceration rate grew by 12 percent during the same time period, and was accompanied by a more modest decrease in serious crime of 42 percent. By 2014, New York City earned the distinction of having the lowest crime rate of the nation’s 20 largest cities, and the second lowest jail incarceration rate. The publication, released in the midst of a growing national discussion about ending mass incarceration, highlights lessons from New York City’s reversal on incarceration and offers lessons on how cities and states can substantially reduce incarceration while promoting safety.
What: Event to release new report: Better by Half: The New York City Story of Winning Large-Scale Decarceration while Increasing Public Safety
When: Friday, October 28, 2016. Doors open at 12:45. Program: 1- 3 p.m. Reception: 3 – 4 p.m.
Who: Report co-author Judith A. Greene, Executive Director of Justice Strategies; report co-author Vincent Schiraldi, Senior Research Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School Program in Criminal Justice and former Probation Commissioner for New York City; Bruce Western, Faculty Chair of the Harvard Kennedy School Program in Criminal Justice Policy and Management and former Vice-Chair of the National Research Council Panel on the Causes and Consequences of High Incarceration Rates; Eric Gonzalez, Acting Brooklyn District Attorney; Michael Blake, NYS Assemblyman; Liz Glazer, Director, Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice; Glenn Martin, President, JustLeadershipUSA; Kyung Ji Rhee, Deputy Director, Center for NuLeadership; Danielle Sered, Director, Common Justice; Robin Steinberg, Executive Director, Bronx Defenders; gabriel sayegh, Katal Center for Health, Equity, and Justice.
Where: Harvard Club of New York City, 35 West 44th Street, New York, NY 10036
RSVP and advance copies: The report is embargoed until Friday October 28 at 12 p.m. and will be published in the Federal Sentencing Reporter, Vol. 29, No. 1. Reporters interested in attending the event, or receiving advanced copies, please contact gabriel sayegh at gabriel@katalcenter.org | 646-335-2264.