Summary
In 2005, CSS formed the New York Reentry Roundtable - a monthly discussion group for community-based advocates and the formerly incarcerated - to address the obstacles faced by those who are released from prison. The Roundtable focuses on impacting systemic change at the state level through a legislative agenda.
Here are a sample of current Roundtable proposals that address costly and ineffective sentencing policies and counterproductive obstacles faced by formerly incarcerated individuals. Adopting them would not only save money, but would bring policies into line with the goal of sentencing added to the state's Penal Law in 2006: "Promotion of successful and productive reentry and reintegration into society."The Roundtable supports the extension of Merit Time release eligibility to domestic violence survivors incarcerated for committing violent crimes. The link between domestic violence and women's pathways to prison is undisputed: 75 percent of incarcerated women have suffered severe physical violence by a spouse or partner. Many were convicted of violent crimes that arose directly or indirectly from the abuse they experienced. They have been punished twice - first when society failed to protect them and again when they were sent to prison. This law will extend eligibility to earn merit time release to these survivors.According to the Prison Policy Initiative, one out of every three persons who moved to upstate New York in the 1990's was actually going to a newly constructed prison. Counting these people as "residents" of prison districts where they do not benefit from services and cannot vote undermines democracy Such a skewing of the population count produces greater representation upstate while robbing New York City of its accurate number of representatives in Congress and the state legislature, as well as of millions in federal funds which are often distributed according to population figures.See the full content of this document
Extract
On a Mission for the Formerly Incarcerated
On May 12, more than one hundred New Yorkers boarded two buses for the three hour ride to Albany to engage legislators in discussions to resolve many of the problems faced by those seeking to leave prison and those who have left and are trying to succeed in the outside world. This was the third annual Alb...
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