statement: nyc council criminal justice committee passes resolution 829

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 28, 2019

 

Contact:

Yan Snead, ysnead@katalcenter.org | 609.680.8185

 

New York City Council Criminal Justice Committee Passes Resolution 829

Resolution Calling on Albany to Pass the Less is More Act and Reform New York’s Outdated Parole System Now Heads to Full Council for Vote

 

New York, NY – Today, New York City Council’s Criminal Justice Committee passed Resolution 829, which calls on Albany to pass the Less is More: Community Supervision Revocation Reform Act (S.1343B – Benjamin / A.5493A – Mosley) and will send it to the full council for a vote tomorrow morning. The resolution, sponsored by Council Member Keith Powers, would reduce jail and prison populations; support people who are subject to community supervision in the reentry process; promote safety and justice for families and communities; and save taxpayers money. Passage of the legislation is essential to reducing the population on Rikers and making closure real, as outlined in an op-ed by Council Member Keith Powers just today. The Resolution now goes to the full City Council for a vote.

Statement by Donna Hylton, Director of the Women and Girls Project at the Katal Center for Health, Equity, and Justice:

“I applaud Council Member Powers and the entire NYC Council’s Criminal Justice Committee for passing Resolution 829. As someone who spent years on parole, I can say from experience how urgently our state needs to fix the parole system. And as someone who was once detained on Rikers Island, I know how absolutely critical it is that we close this facility once and for all. This bill, the Less is More Act, will bring us one step closer to achieving these goals. Right now, there are over 700 people detained in NYC jails not because of a criminal charge, but because they were hit with a technical violation of parole, like missing a meeting with a parole officer. We need our City Council members to join the Criminal Justice Committee in endorsing Less Is More by passing Resolution 829, and we need the Legislature and the Governor to immediately pass this bill and make it law.”

 

 

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