FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, May 2, 2023
Contact: Yonah Zeitz, yonah@katalcenter.org | (347) 201-2769
Follow on Twitter @KatalCenter | #BailReformNY #CloseRikers
Katal Opposes Bail Reform Rollbacks in Budget Bill, Calls on Lawmakers to Vote Against Jailing More New Yorkers Pretrial
The Terrible Proposal, Negotiated in Secret Without Public Review, Will Increase Jail Populations Across the State and Further Undermine Efforts to Close Rikers Island
Albany, NY: Late last night, the state legislature released a proposal, within the budget, that weakens the states bail laws and will lead to more New Yorkers be jailed pretrial. The proposal will subject even more New Yorkers to the horrific experience of being caged in local jails like Rikers Island, and will particularly impact Black, brown, and low-income people.
Statement from Yonah Zeitz, Director of Advocacy, Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice.
“Like Mayor Adams, Gov. Hochul has made it her singular objective to send more people to jail. She said the quiet part out loud – the reason she’s been pushing for rollbacks to bail reform is because of a series of racist and unhinged articles in rags like the NY Post. Throughout this legislative session, Katal and our members have fought back against Hochul’s proposals to roll back bail reform. We’ve been to Albany repeatedly. We’ve worked to educate lawmakers, with members sharing their harrowing stories of being jailed pretrial. We’ve protested outside the governor’s NYC office. And we’ve continued to demand action to close Rikers Island Jail Complex. And now we call on lawmakers to vote NO on this outrageous proposal to jail more New Yorkers. We call on the Governor and Legislature to pass a budget that decarcerates, closes more prisons and jails, and invests in real safety: housing, health care, education, and jobs. ”
###
