January 14, 2021
parole reform - #lessismoreny
Less is More: Community Supervision Revocation Reform Act
(S.1144A – Benjamin / A.5576A – Forrest)
Less Mass Supervision Equals More Safety & Justice
New York reincarcerates more people on parole for technical violations like missing an appointment with a parole officer, being late for curfew, or testing positive for alcohol than any state in the country except Illinois. Of people on parole whom New York sent back to prison in 2016, over 6,300 or 65% were reincarcerated for technical parole violations. Nearly 1/3 of the new admissions to state prisons are due to people reincarcerated for technical violations of parole. Only 14% of people on parole who were reincarcerated were returned to prison because they were convicted of a new crime. The racial disparity is stark: Black people are incarcerated in New York City jails for technical parole violations at more than 12 times the rate of whites.
There are approximately 35,000 people under active parole supervision in New York State who at almost any time can see their efforts to successfully rejoin the workforce and reintegrate into their families and their communities disrupted by reincarceration for a technical violation. This not only harms individual lives and families without commensurate public safety gains, but also drives up the population in the state prisons and local jails, wasting taxpayer money.
The Less is More: Community Supervision Revocation Reform Act would fix this problem. Developed by people on parole, people currently incarcerated, family members, and groups across NY, the bill is sponsored by Sen. Brian Benjamin (S.1144A) and Assm. Phara Forrest (A.5576A). The bill was passed by the New York State Legislature on June 10th, 2021. On September 17, 2021, Governor Kathy Hochul signed the Less is More Act into law. Most provisions take effect March 1, 2022 and it will be fully implemented by July 2022, but there is a provision that allows for the full and immediate implementation of #LessIsMoreNY before the effective date.
Check out our #LessIsMoreNY member profiles below.
For more information, and to get involved with #LessIsMoreNY, visit our campaign website or contact:
Katal Center for Health, Equity, and Justice, info@katalcenter.org | (646) 875-8822
We Are Unchained, emily@weareunchained.org | (315) 243-5135
A Little Piece of Light, dhylton@alittlepieceoflight.org | (347) 773-8050
