More News & Statements from RAPP on the urgent need to release elders and other incarcerated people vulnerable to illness and death from the coronavirus

FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 2020, 12:00 pm • Press Conference outside Sing Sing CF in response to first incarcerated person’s death from COVID-19 • Demand Gov. Cuomo release all vulnerable people • PRESS RELEASE HERE
WATCH the video here

(photo courtesy Andrew Courtney)

MONDAY, March 30, 2020, 12:00 pm • Virtual Press Conference featuring families of incarcerated people, public health experts, and advocates calling on Governor Cuomo to act now as the COVID-19 crisis hits NYS prisons, endangering elders and other New Yorkers behind bars vulnerable to the virus. VIDEO HERE

March 30 Virtual Press Conference PRESS RELEASE HERE

Friday, March 27, 2020, 5:00 pm • Statement in response to Gov. Cuomo releasing 1,100 people convicted of parole violations

“Governor Cuomo is doing the right thing by bringing relief to 1,100 New Yorkers convicted of violating parole. We call on the governor to use this as the first step towards justice for far more incarcerated New Yorkers who are vulnerable to COVID-19. Thousands of elders and other New Yorkers with seriously compromised immune systems continue to languish in the governor’s prison system. The governor should grant them clemency now before it’s too late.”
###

NEW! Releasing New Yorkers From Prison Is the Only Way to Save Lives in the Wake of COVID-19
Recommendations from RAPP and Parole Preparation Project (CLICK HERE for a two-page summary)

###

Sign this petition:

Governor Cuomo Must Release Incarcerated Elders & Others Vulnerable to COVID-19

•••

March 19, 2020: NYC Mayor De Blasio announces the city has ID’d 40 people in NYC jails to be reviewed for possible release. RAPP and partners say: Inadequate

March 17, 2020: Response to news that a CO from Sing Sing (Ossining CF) tested positive for coronavirus, March 17, 2020: click here

March 11, 2020: Conference & Statement: Health experts and advocates call for release of incarcerated people vulnerable to COVID-19 • March 11, 2020. New York, NY

PRESS RELEASE: Wednesday, March 11, 2020

CONTACT: Dave George 631-885-3565 / ddgeorge23@gmail.com;
Nick Encalada-Malinowski 347-259-4835 / nick@vocal-ny.org

Livestream from press conference here

In Wake of Coronavirus Outbreak, Health Experts, Advocates and Elected Officials call on Gov. Cuomo to Release Incarcerated People Vulnerable to Virus

The Group Held a Press Conference to Call on Cuomo to Grant Emergency Clemencies to Older and Sick New Yorkers in Prison

Anthony Dixon, Director of the Community Engagement, the Parole Preparation Project

New York, NY – March 11, 2020 –Today, public health experts, elected officials, and advocacy organizations, including the Release Aging People in Prison Campaign, Parole Preparation Project, VOCAL-NY, Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club, and Worth Rises held a press conference on the steps of New York City Hall in the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak. The group called on Governor Cuomo and the state legislature to take immediate action in support of incarcerated people and their families by granting clemencies to vulnerable people in prison, including older and sick incarcerated people.

The group also called on the legislature to take immediate action by passing Elder Parole (S.2144/A.9040) and the Fair and Timely Parole Act (S.497A/A.4346A), and to ensure that prison phone calls and visiting are accessible to people in prison and their families as the virus continues to spread. They also called for an end to prison labor exploitation and for the labor of incarcerated people to be fully compensated.

Jose Saldana, Director of the Release Aging People in Prison Campaign said, “Medical Reports are warning that the Coronavirus is potentially fatal for the elderly, especially those with chronic health conditions and compromised immunes systems. What will Governor Cuomo do to protect the lives of the more than 10,000 elderly men and women incarcerated in prisons across the state? Hopefully, he does more than they had done for the roughly 675 elderly men and women who have died in prisons across the state in the last nine years. We call on the governor to start the process of extending clemencies to the vulnerable elderly incarcerated men and women in state prisons, who are facing death during this serious time.”

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement, “The spread of Coronavirus seems to be growing from concern to urgency and could become a full-blown health crisis in New York. There is a population that’s uniquely vulnerable that we need to remember: older and seriously ill people in our prisons. Once the virus spreads to our prisons, older incarcerated people and those with preexisting health problems will be in the virus’s crosshairs and the prisons will not have the capacity to care for them. Now would be a good time for Governor Cuomo to consider the clemency petitions of these vulnerable incarcerated people. My office stands ready to assist the governor in the consideration of these petitions for those from Brooklyn.”

Oliver Fein, M.D. and Chair of the Board for Physicians for National Health Program – NY Metro chapter said in a statement,“The threat of the Coronavirus pandemic is particularly high in prison settings. Prison environments are similar to nursing home environments, where residents are in close contact on a daily basis. Given the Kirkland, Washington experience, in which 18 residents of a nursing home have died from Coronavirus infection, it is reasonable to be concerned that the elderly and sickest populations in prisons are also at high risk. Release of such vulnerable incarcerated people is a moral imperative.“

Jack Beck, corrections health expert and former Director of the Prison Visiting Project at the Correctional Association of New York said, “It is just a matter of time before this virus enters New York State prisons and jails. When it does, it will inevitably spread. Prisons are not built to control and prevent the spread of viruses. We should take the affirmative step of releasing older people and others who are vulnerable to contract this virus when it begins to enter the prison system.

Allen Roskoff, President of the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club said, “Governor Cuomo must release the elderly and sick from prison to avoid a likely potential catastrophic outbreak that cannot be controlled behind prison walls. The governor must send the elderly home where they can be protected from illness before it is too late. If Governor Cuomo fails to act, needless deaths will occur to the incarcerated, prison staff and thus to those throughout New York. In this health emergency caused by the coronaries virus pandemic, these humane measures must be implemented with great haste.

Anthony Dixon, Director of Community Engagement for the Parole Preparation Project said, “Rather than release or issue executive clemencies to elderly incarcerated people with the stroke of the pen, so that millions of dollars can be added to his war chest for combating the coronavirus, the Governor is instead resorting to being a slave driver. Essentially, the governor is confronted with two crises, the coronavirus and a staggeringly 1 out of 5 people in New York state prisons being older adults. This crisis must be addressed.”

Bianca Tylek, Executive Director at Worth Rises said, “While our elders are languishing in prison under significant threat of a lethal illness, Governor Cuomo is gloating about having them mass produce hand sanitizer to protect the public all for as little as $0.26 per hour. The slave labor used in New York prisons is abhorrent every day, and even more so during a public health crisis. Governor Cuomo must release our elders and sick, and stop the abuse of prison labor by increasing incarcerated peoples’ wages.”

Martin Garcia, Community Coordinator at Worth Rises stated, “Governor Cuomo should take immediate action to make all communication in New York’s prisons free so that families can check on the health and wellbeing of their loved ones inside and vice versa. Crises like the Coronavirus pandemic simply illustrate why the ability for families to communicate is so important every day.”

Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas, Candidate for New York State Assembly (AD-34) said, “This is a compounding crisis, a crisis of incarcerating elders who will end up dying in prison if we don’t release them. The Coronavirus will impact the vulnerable lives of our elders and immune-compromised people in prison. We demand that the governor release elders and those who are immune-compromised immediately. Queens demands that we have them home with their family, so that they can be safe and healthy. For the long-term, we must pass the Elder Parole Act and Fair and Timely Parole Act. When I’m elected to the state legislature, I will be a champion for this issue.”

On Monday, March 10^th, Governor Cuomo announced that incarcerated people at Great Meadow Correctional Facility would produce hand sanitizer for New Yorkers across the state; a product they will likely be banned from using themselves. To date, Cuomo has not proposed or issued any orders to protect the health and well being of incarcerated New Yorkers who are particularly vulnerable to the virus.

Governor Cuomo has issued two clemencies to New Yorkers in prison in 2019 and 2020 combined, neither of which was given to older or sick incarcerated people. On February 18, 2020, President Trump issued four clemencies to people in federal prison, representing more commutations than Cuomo granted in the last two years. There are more than 10,000 older adults in the New York State prison system, including dozens who are confined in hospice units, units for the cognitively impaired, and regional medical units.

Jose Saldana, Director of the Release Aging People in Prison Campaign

December 9, 2019

End death by incarceration & advance parole justice—Join us on April 21

RSVP HERE to be part of a powerful movement to end the cruelty of permanent punishment.

• Photos: Walter Hergt • Here’s how it looked last time we gathered in Albany (on January 14, 2020) demanding that our elected officials end death by incarceration and advance parole justice. RAPP, the Parole Preparation Project and hundreds of others from across New York State mounted a Day of Action to pass Elder Parole (S.2144) and Fair and Timely Parole Act (S.497A). We marched, rallied, and met with dozens of New York State elected officials. Go to our Press page to read what the media had to say about the rally and the issues.

NOW WE’RE GOING BACK TWICE AS STRONG, and we need you to RSVP here to join us on April 21

WHY: New York State has the eighth highest rate of people serving a life sentence in the country—roughly 9,200 people. More than 1,000 of them are serving Life Without Parole or virtual life without parole—with a minimum sentence of 50 years—sentences. 75 percent are People of Color.

Long and life sentences combined with few opportunities for release have created a crisis of aging, sickness and death in New York State prisons. There are now more than 10,000 people in NYS prisons—20% of the prison population—aged 50 or older; most are Black and Latinx. While the prison population in NYS fell by 27% between 2000 and 2016, the number of incarcerated older people more than doubled. Older people, especially those who have been convicted of the most serious crimes, pose little if any risk to public safety. In fact, when released, many formerly incarcerated older people engage in work that enhances public safety and community health.

To begin to scale back long and life sentences in New York State, promote the release of long-serving incarcerated older people, and reunite families and communities, New Yorkers across the state are pushing for two pending legislative initiatives:

Fair & Timely Parole (S.497A): A bill that would change the parole release process in New York State ensure that people are evaluated for release based on who they are today and not their crime of conviction.
Elder Parole (S.2144): A bill that would allow people aged 55 or older who have served 15 or more years in prison a chance at release, regardless of their sentence or crime of conviction.

Both these bills made some progress in the 2019 state legislative session, but never made it to the floor for a vote. That’s why we need to be up in Albany at the beginning of the new 2020 legislative session. Come with us to keep fighting for justice on April 21—and be part of the solution. RSVP HERE

MORE: Read more here about these bills and why we need them.

November 25, 2019

Article Highlights Parole Injustices: Why We Need Change

In their December 2, 2019 issue, The New Yorker magazine published “Prepping for Parole,” a 10,000-word article by Jennifer Gonnerman exposing some of the devastating problems with the New York State Parole Board. While we, the Parole Preparation Project, and so many others have pushed the Board to release more people from prison in recent years, they still continue to deny freedom to thousands of New Yorkers in prison and their families, and communities across New York State.

The article featured the incredible work our partners at Parole Prep do with currently incarcerated people serving parole-eligible life sentences. It also featured RAPP Director, Jose Saldana, RAPP co-founder Kathy Boudin, and the devastating story of Richard Lloyd Dennis, a currently incarcerated elder who the Parole Board has denied release to 13 times.

Richard Lloyd Dennis, currently incarcerated elder New Yorker. Photo courtesy of the New Yorker Magazine

“In May 2018, Dennis had been imprisoned longer than all but nine other men in New York State. If he had been convicted of killing anyone but a police officer, he likely would have been set free. Dennis appeared before the parole board for the thirteenth time on August 27th, 2019. Two days later, [Dennis’s Parole Preparation Project volunteer received the news], ‘He was denied.'”

This article helps tell the world what so many incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people and their loved ones have known for years: That the Parole Board still promotes a system of vengeance and punishment that fails to acknowledge peoples’ transformations behind bars. It’s another reminder of how urgent it is that New York State end life imprisonment and promote parole justice. It’s another reminder of why we need the legislature to pass Fair and Timely Parole (S.497A). It’s another reason why we need you to join us for two events to fight for parole justice: Tuesday, November 26, 12:30 pm, Foley Square – Rally to reunite families, promote parole justice, and bring hope for the holidays

And Tuesday, January 14, 2020, Albany – Mobilize to end death by incarceration and bring them home! March, rally, meet with elected officials, fight for parole justice

November 20, 2019

One Year After Mujahid Farid’s Death, We Call for Fair & Timely Parole Act

One year ago today, the world lost a leader in the movement to end mass incarceration. Mujahid Farid died on November 20, 2018, at 69 years old, surrounded by his RAPP and Parole Preparation Project family in his apartment in the Bronx. Farid was a Co-Founder and former Director of RAPP and a trailblazer in the struggle to release older people from prison and end life imprisonment. He was our friend, family member, comrade, and so often our inspiration for doing this work. While we celebrate Farid’s life and continue to mourn over his death, we are also motivated by his personal struggle with long-term incarceration and his broader efforts to get others free as we continue our work for transformative reforms to the parole release process in New York State.

Release Aging People in Prison Campaign & Parole Preparation Project
Call for Fair & Timely Parole Act on One Year Anniversary of Mujahid Farid’s Death

Despite appearing before the Parole Board for the first time after receiving four college degrees, founding lifesaving in-prison programs, and having an overall prison record that exemplified transformation, the Board denied Farid parole release nine times over the course of 18 years. Instead of being released in his early-mid forties, Farid was finally released in his 60s after serving 33 years behind bars. In his short 7 years of life after his release, Farid and New Yorkers across the state helped make significant changes that led to more parole releases and reunited families. However, despite these significant gains, the very same issues that Farid faced before the Parole Board persist today.

Thousands of people in New York State prisons continue to languish behind bars years and decades beyond their minimum sentences. The Parole Board continues to deny parole to people who have transformed their lives and who could instantly become community leaders if only they had a chance at freedom. Everyday, people in New York State prisons are growing older, sick, and dying. This injustice must end once and for all. To that end, we call on the New York State legislature to pass the Fair & Timely Parole Act (S.497A/A.4346A) in the 2020 legislative session.

Fair & Timely Parole would ensure that the parole release process is New York State is based on who people are today, as opposed to just the nature of their crime of conviction. It provides for a fairer and more forward looking assessment of peoples’ current suitability for release and removes harmful language from state executive law that effectively allows the Parole Board to re-sentence people. We call on lawmakers in Albany to support and pass this bill as soon as they return to Albany on January 8^th as one of many ways to honor Farid’s legacy and promote justice in New York State.

Please join us on January 14th, 2020, to rally for passage of this bill and to honor Farid’s legacy.

Photo of Mujahid Farid by Michelle Lewin

October 24, 2019

Community Says: Pass Elder Parole—No Exclusions

To end death by incarceration in New York, more than 130 organizations wrote to the leaders of the NYS Legislature urging passage of the Elder Parole bill (S.2144). “A coalition of groups backing criminal justice law changes are urging state lawmakers to back a bill that would allow for the release of prison inmates who are age 55 or older and have served more than 15 years in prison,” wrote New York State of Politics on October 24.

October 25, 2019

Senator Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins
28 Wells Avenue, Building #3
Yonkers, NY 10701

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie
1446 East Gun Hill Road
Bronx, NY 10469

Dear Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins and Speaker Heastie,

On August 13, 2019, Valerie Gaiter died in the custody of the New York State prison system of untreated cancer. She was 61 years old and had served nearly 40 years in prison on a 50-year-to-life sentence. At the time of her death, she had served more time than any other woman currently incarcerated in New York State.

During her time in prison, Ms. Gaiter worked hard to reckon with and repent for the irreparable harm she caused as a 21-year-old in Brooklyn in 1979. She earned multiple college degrees, ran the photography program in the Bedford Hills visiting room, and trained service dogs for wounded veterans. Despite her efforts to transform herself and those around her, she was never given a meaningful opportunity for release.

Ms. Gaither would not have been eligible for parole until her 71^st birthday, 10 years after her death. Sentences like hers are commonplace in New York State. There are currently more than 1,000 people serving life without parole or a virtual life sentence (a minimum of 50 or more years) who are all but guaranteed to die in prison. In fact, Ms. Gaiter is just one of at least 675 older people who have died in state custody since January 2011.

We, alongside Ms. Gaiter’s family and loved ones are devastated and outraged by her passing. We call on you to take action and commit to passing Elder Parole (S.2144) this legislative session.

Elder parole is a common sense, evidenced-based, and fiscally responsible way to save lives, reunite families and communities, and reinvest millions of taxpayer dollars into much needed public resources. The bill affords people in prison aged 55 and older who have served 15 or more years in prison an opportunity to go before the Parole Board. The bill does not automatically release people from prison, but instead allows the Board to determine whether or not an elder applicant is suitable for release. The bill offers hope and a second chance to those otherwise sentenced to die in prison.

Further, Elder Parole in New York State must include all older people who have already served decades in prison, regardless of their crime or sentence. Exclusions based solely on the nature of a person’s crime only promote notions of punishment and revenge, and offer no benefit to public safety. In fact, they hinder it. Returning elders are mentors and leaders in our communities and help us build the safe and nurturing world we want.

We the undersigned, who represent the broad and diverse statewide community advocating for an end to mass incarceration will not support any form of Elder Parole that offers hope only to some and a death sentence for others. We will not be complicit in the further loss of life behind bars and we ask you to join us in this effort. You must make New York a national leader for fairness and justice by passing Elder Parole in its current Senate form when you return to Albany in January. The lives of countless people depend on it.

Sincerely,

Advocates Delivering Love
Advocates for the Incarcerated at Fordham University Law School
Aging People in Prison Human Rights Campaign
Alabama-CURE
All Things Harlem
Alliance for Quality Education
American Friends Service Committee Prison Watch Program
American Friends Service Committee, New York
American Friends Service Committee, New Jersey
Amnesty International Brooklyn Local Group 27
Appellate Advocates Association of Legal Aid Attorneys, UAW Local 2325
Beacon Prison Action
Bend the Arc Jewish Action
Benedict Advisors LLC
Brooklyn Community Bail Fund
Brooklyn Defender Services
California Coalition for Women Prisoners
Californians United for a Responsible Budget
Campaign to End the New Jim Crow
Capital Area Against Mass Incarceration
Center For Community Alternatives
Center for Constitutional Rights
Center for Justice, Columbia University
Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law at NYU Law
Certain Days Collective
Citizen Action of New York
Citizens Against Recidivism
Citizens for Clean Water
Close Rosies
College & Community Fellowship
Colorado-CURE, Inc.
Columbia County Bail Fund
Communities in Partnership
Community Service Society of New York
Cornell Women’s Decarceration Practicum
Correctional Association of New York
Critical Resistance New York City
Discovery for Justice
Downstate Coalition for Crime Victims
Drug Policy Alliance
Equality for Flatbush (E4F)
Exodus Transitional Community Dutchess County
Exodus Transitional Community New York City
Families for Freedom
Felony Murder Elimination Project
Feminist Research on Violence – NYC
Fordham Law Advocates for the Incarcerated
Fordham Law School’s Criminal Defense Clinic
Fordham University
Greater New York Labor Religion Coalition
Hour Children
Human Rights Watch
Immigrant Defense Project
Incarcerated Nation Collective
Indivisible Brooklyn
Indivisible Harlem
Innocence Project
Interfaith Prison Partnership
Inwood Indivisible
Jewish Voice for Peace NYC
Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club
John Brown Lives!
Justice and Unity for the Southern Tier (JUST)
Justice Roundtable
JustLeadershipUSA
Katal Center for Health, Equity and Justice
Labor-Religion Coalition of New York State
LatinoJustice PRLDEF
Law Enforcement Action Partnership
Legal Action Center
Legal Action Center Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo
Legal Aid Society
LGBT Community Center of New York City
Life after release
Life for Pot
A Little Piece of Light
Make the Road New York
MEN TALK
MomsRising
Mount Lebanon Baptist Church
NAMI Huntington
National Lawyers Guild – NYC Chapter
New Hour for Women and Children LI
New Rochelle Against Racism/New RoAR
New York Campaign For Alternatives To Isolated Confinement
New York Civil Liberties Union (ACLU of New York)
New York County Defender Services
New York State Coalition Against Sexual Assault
New York State Council of Churches
No IDC NY
No New Jails NYC
NYC Books Through Bars
NYC Jericho Movement
NYU School of Law Prison Reform and Education Project
Parole Preparation Project
Physicians for a National Health Program – NY Metro
Prison Action Network
Release Aging People in Prison Campaign
Rise and Resist
Rise Up Kingston
Riverside Church Prison Ministry
Rockland United Sex Workers and Allies Network
Showing Up for Racial Justice NYC
Sisters of St. Dominic of Blauvelt, NY
Social Justice Committee, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Poughkeepsie
St. Stephen’s United Methodist Church
STARZ CLOSET
State Vs Us Magazine
STEPS to End Family Violence
The Bronx Defenders
The Bronx Freedom Fund
The Church of Gethsemane
The Fortune Society
The Osborne Association
The Sentencing Project
The Village Zendo
Time for Change Foundation
Tompkins County Showing Up for Racial Justice
Trans Prisoners Coalition
Truth Pharm, Inc.
United Neighborhood Houses of New York
United Voices of Cortland
Upper West Side Action
Uptown Progressive Action
Urban Justice Center
VOCAL-NY
WESPAC Foundation, Inc
Westchester for Change
Witness to Mass Incarceration
Women & Justice Project
Worth Rises
Youth Arts New York
Youth Represent

The bill passed the NYS Senate Committee on Crime Victims, Crime and Correction in April, 2019 (see photo below). Now it’s up the the leadership to move it as soon as the new session launches in January, 2020. Join us in Albany on January 14 to say, “Bring Them Home!” PASS ELDER PAROLE and END DEATH BY INCARCERATION in NYS.

June 19, 2019

Parole Justice Advances as Legislature Closes—But Not Far Enough

Statement to our Communities from the Release Aging People in Prison Campaign and Parole Preparation Project

• As the 2019 New York State legislative session ends, we’re reflecting on the progress we’ve made in the movement for parole justice, and the work that is still to come.

One of our primary goals this year was to fully staff the New York State Parole Board with commissioners who embrace notions of redemption and believe firmly in rehabilitation. We wanted a Board of 19 people from therapeutic and clinical backgrounds—social workers, mental health counselors and medical professionals. We wanted a Board of people who came from and had deep personal ties to communities most impacted by violence and incarceration.

This yearlong campaign culminated late Wednesday night after a long and contentious parole commissioner confirmation process. Last week, Governor Cuomo sent the names of six new parole board appointments to the State Senate for confirmation. The six nominees included a former prosecutor, a current and former parole officer, a nonprofit executive, a pastor and a former public defender.

Among the nominees, we had the most serious reservations about candidate Richard Kratzenberg, a former corrections officer and life-long Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) employee. According to public records, Kratzenberg was also formerly a registered Republican (now party unaffiliated) and predominantly lived in conservative, rural and suburban towns in upstate New York. Further, in his confirmation interviews with Senators, he repeatedly conveyed an archaic belief that a person’s crime of conviction—and not their record of rehabilitation or transformation—should be the primary factor when making parole release determinations.

In an unprecedented and historical moment, due to fierce opposition from the advocacy community and our legislative allies, Kratzenberg’s appointment was never brought to the Senate floor for a vote, ending his potential nomination. Five of the six appointed candidates were then confirmed by the Senate on the last day of the legislative session. These proceedings marked the longest and most substantive parole commissioner confirmation hearing to date.

Despite our success in ending Kratzenberg’s nomination, and the relief it brought, we were disturbed by the overall appointment process. Half of the candidates put forward by the Governor came from prosecutorial or law enforcement backgrounds, and very few had any professional experience in trauma-informed care or other therapeutic work. Where were the nurses, substance-abuse counselors and mental health professionals?

The Cuomo administration also shared no information on how they sourced candidates, how they conducted their interviews, their criteria for ultimate selection or the timing of appointments until after their appointments were final. Despite repeated promises made by the governor’s staff in meetings over the past year to share the names with advocates, the appointees were only publicly made available by the press, less than 24 hours before the first confirmation hearings. Advocates, currently and formerly incarcerated people and their families—those whose lives literally hang in the balance—had no opportunity to vet the candidates, speak with their references and determine their suitability for this powerful position.

While we are hopeful that some of the new commissioners share our values and will give people in a prison a fair and meaningful opportunity for release, we are devastated that we cannot with confidence say to our incarcerated loved ones that this new cohort brings with it real hope for the future and the possibility of freedom.

Despite these ongoing obstacles and resistance, we feel proud that as a result of our advocacy efforts, the decision over who may serve as a parole commissioner is now a public process. We have transformed lawmakers’ understanding of the significance of Parole Board appointments and parole release more broadly. We have taught our legislators and the broader public that transformation and redemption are the best guarantee of public safety, not punishment and indefinite confinement.

In the coming year, we will continue our push to change the composition of the Parole Board and its enduringly punitive culture. We will work to ensure that future commissioners share the values of redemption and transformation, and believe in the humanity of all people in prison. We will also hold current and newly appointed commissioners accountable for their actions on the Board, by demanding more transparency, data and training. We will struggle until all of our loved ones are home.

Beyond our efforts to staff the Parole Board, both our legislative initiatives—Fair and Timely Parole (S.497) and Elder Parole (S.2144)—were voted out of the Senate Crime and Assembly Correction Committees and sourced powerful community support. However, an intense wave of opposition from police unions and other conservative forces made legislative leadership waver, ultimately stalling the bills. Sadly, the state legislature did not pass a single piece of legislation this session to improve or expand the parole release process.

We are also devastated that the legislature would not pass Humane Alternatives to Long-term Confinement (HALT) (A.2500 / S.1623), despite the fact that the bill had ample votes and tremendous public support. The last-minute, closed-door deal brokered between legislative leadership and Governor Cuomo is a poor excuse for reform. It does little to curtail the use of solitary confinement, excluding local jails entirely, and leaving intact other forms of isolation frequently employed by DOCCS.

Without these critical bills, lawmakers guaranteed that more New Yorkers will age, despair, and die behind bars. This is unacceptable. Next session, legislators must come back to Albany with the will to pass these bills, bring parole justice to New York State and end the torture of solitary confinement. The lives of countless New Yorkers depend on it.

###

Here is the statement we sent out earlier this week, encouraging all to help prevent Kratzenberg from being appointed. Thank you to all who joined our effort:

Statement from Release Aging People in Prison Campaign and Parole Preparation Project Opposing the Confirmation of Richard Kratzenberg to the NYS Parole Board

Today, June 18 2019, the Senate Crime Victims, Crime and Correction Committee confirmed six new appointments put forward by Governor Cuomo for the New York State Parole Board.

Most concerning of the appointments is Richard Kratzenberg, a former corrections officer and long- time, in-prison parole officer. His entire 32-year career has been almost exclusively within the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, and there is no evidence he has community ties or personal or professional references outside of that setting. According to public records, Kratzenberg was also formerly a registered Republican (now party unaffiliated) and has predominantly lived in conservative, rural and suburban towns in upstate New York.

During this morning’s confirmation hearing, Kratzenberg cited both the nature of a person’s crime and their criminal record as two of the most important factors in parole release determinations. He spent little time discussing the role rehabilitation or personal transformation play in his assessments, and expressed strong support for current DOCCS programming, which many New Yorkers know is deeply inadequate. Further, Kratzenberg showed no nuanced understanding of the underlying causes of violence and crime, or the conditions and circumstances that often lead people to prison.

Undoubtedly, making determinations about a candidate’s suitability for this role on the Parole Board solely on the basis of their credentials and a short interview, is a dangerous thing to do. However, the timeline of events and the total lack of transparency in this nomination process leaves us no choice but to oppose the confirmation of Mr. Kratzenberg. Without any time to vet these candidates, we cannot in good conscience support the nomination of a person who has spent his entire career surveilling and supervising incarcerated people.

Mr. Kratzenberg is emblematic of parole in the Pataki-era, when commissioners came from primarily law enforcement and prosecutorial backgrounds, and the parole release process served as another mechanism to indefinitely punish people in prison. However, in the last eight years, parole has undergone dramatic reforms, resulting in fairer parole decisions, longer parole interviews and more hope. Kratzenbrg’s nomination jeopardizes that progress. If confirmed to the Parole Board, Mr. Kratzenberg would be appointed for a six-year term, longer than any other candidate appointed this year.

At the Senate Crime Committee meeting, Senators Myrie and Rivera voted against Mr. Kratzenberg’s appointment, and Senators Bailey and Gallivan voted without record. Mr. Kratzenberg’s nomination was narrowly voted out of the Crime Committee and referred to the Finance Committee for a second confirmation hearing.

If confirmed, Mr. Kratzenberg will have the power to deprive thousands of people of their freedom and to extend New York’s ugly, racist legacy of “tough-on-crime” policies and mass incarceration.

We urge members of the Finance Committee and the larger New York State Senate to vote no on his appointment.

###

March 7, 2019

NYS Parole Board Must Be Independent

Joint statement from the Release Aging People in Prison Campaign and Parole Preparation Project in response to alleged deal between the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association and NYS Parole Board:

“We are outraged to learn that in 2012 the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association (PBA) struck a secret deal with the New York State Parole Board that allowed the PBA direct access to the Board and its Commissioners. The deal provided that all statements of opposition collected by the PBA through a nongovernmental online forum would be directly transmitted to the Board of Parole for consideration. Such statements were submitted through the mere click of a button on the PBA’s website. Authors need not know the parole applicant or the circumstances surrounding their case. The Board accepted and heavily considered these letters despite the fact that they had their own public forum for submissions.

This agreement between the Parole Board and PBA is not only unlawful, but compromises the independence of the Board and suggests an ugly collaboration between a state agency and a union notorious for unsavory and racist conduct. Their alignment also undermines basic principles of fairness, justice and due process, and contradicts the Executive Law that governs parole. By these laws and principles, the Parole Board must be immune to pressure from special interest groups and other political entities, to ensure that every person applying for parole is given an equal opportunity to make their case for freedom.

This secret agreement comes as no surprise to advocates. The Parole Board has, for decades, been deeply entrenched in the law enforcement community, whether through staffing the Board with former sheriffs and prosecutors or upholding a long-held policy of denying parole release to all people convicted of harming police officers.

While we are relieved to hear that this clandestine agreement between the Parole Board and the PBA was dismantled in 2014, we remain deeply concerned about the long-lasting and likely devastating consequences of such an arrangement. Undoubtedly, hundreds, if not thousands, of people in prison were denied release between 2012 and 2014 due to letters of opposition received from the PBA. This is unacceptable.

No life is more valuable than any other, and the lives of law enforcement cannot be elevated above the lives of people in prison or anyone else.”

###

January 30, 2019

Demands for Parole Justice Rock the Capitol

Albany, Tuesday, January 29: A broad coalition of advocates, formerly incarcerated people and community leaders from the Release Aging People in Prison/RAPP Campaign, Parole Preparation Project, he #HALTsolitary Campaign, Osborne Association, Brooklyn Defenders Services, Chief Defenders Association of New York, New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and state lawmakers rallied during the NYS legislature’s budget hearing on public protections in support of significant changes to the state’s parole release process.

The coalition demanded that Governor Cuomo’s executive budget proposal include funding to fully staff the State Parole Board and to support advocate-led efforts to release older people from prison. They called on the Assembly and Senate to pass legislation that will ensure parole release is based on rehabilitation and individuals’ current risk to public safety (S497/A4346); a bill to establish elder parole for incarcerated older people (S2144/A4319), and to support a fully staffed and rehabilitation-based Parole Board. National expert on sentencing and parole, Nicole Porter (Washington, D.C.), and leaders of the faith-based and crime victims’ communities joined advocates pleas for sweeping reforms.

Photos: Walter Hergt

Jose Saldana, Director of the Release Aging People in Prison Campaign said, “RAPP is calling on our elected representatives to make sweeping and genuine criminal justice reforms that serve the interests of the communities they represent, not special interest groups. Governor Cuomo’s budget proposal is woefully inadequate. For parole reform to have any meaningful impact, it must include a fully staffed Parole Board with 19 diversified commissioners, and the passage of Fair and Timely and Elder Parole. We demand an end to the Parole Board’s paradigm of perpetual punishment. The true meaning of ‘parole’ is to make a fair and impartial evaluation for release based on who the parole applicant is today, not who they were decades ago.”

“I am proud to support Fair and Timely Parole (S497) and Elder Parole (S2144) as part of the criminal justice reform agenda for our state. I will also work tirelessly toward the full staffing of the Parole Board to ensure that it is able to assess eligibility for parole in an effective and fair manner,” said State Senator Luis Sepulveda, Chair of the Senate Crime Victims, Crime and Correction Committee (SD-32). “These reforms are meaningful first steps toward moving us away from the failed path of mass incarceration. It is an honor to stand alongside advocates and fight for a more just New York.”

“Supporting reform in our parole system is not only the right thing to do, but smart policy,” said Assemblymember David I. Weprin, Assembly Correction Committee Chair. “By ensuring we allow individuals the opportunity for a second chance while keeping the public’s safety in mind with a fair review process; we can protect the public, ensure we’re not spending exorbitant amounts on incarceration while making for a better and more compassionate New York.”

Nicole Porter, Director of Advocacy at the Sentencing Project (Washington D.C.) said, “New York is among a handful of states acknowledged to be leading the country in decarceration. Yet, the state’s prison population is more than double its 1980 levels and has some of the nation’s highest numbers of incarcerated older people and those serving life sentences. Mass incarceration will not be meaningfully addressed unless lifelong prison terms are challenged.”

State Senator Brad Hoylman (SD-27) said, “Our criminal justice system is broken and has been for decades. Elder parole (S.2144) is the first of many necessary steps we must take to reverse the decades of failed policy that has led to mass incarceration across our state. There’s no justice in a system that denies fairness to so many, and I will continue to work with my Assembly co-sponsor David Weprin, and the Release Aging People in Prison Campaign towards meaningful criminal justice reform this session.”

“For far too long, our State’s Parole Board has not been fulfilling its duty and has left thousands of New Yorkers stranded behind bars because they lack the willpower or manpower to adequately assess cases,” said State Senator Gustavo Rivera (SD-33). “Along with colleagues of the Senate Majority Conference, I will continue to relentlessly fight to implement common-sense measures that focus on rehabilitation, instead of punishment and truly improve the parole system for incarcerated individuals.”

“I stand with advocates in demanding a just parole system,” said State Senator Julia Salazar (SD-18). “The Parole Board must be fully staffed in order to properly fulfill its responsibility to fairly review each person’s eligibility for parole. In addition, I support establishing a presumption of eligibility for parole once an individual has completed their minimum sentence, and fully support the release from prison of elderly incarcerated people, who pose a low risk of re-offending. We must continue to find ways to reduce New York’s reliance on long-term incarceration. These bills are important steps towards that goal.”

“When someone has served their time for mistakes made in the past, the decision on their parole should not stretch endlessly into the future,” said State Senator Zellnor Myrie (SD-20). “These essential reforms will move us closer to a justice system that will affirm the dignity and humanity of returning citizens and give them a fair and timely chance to begin again.”

“The Crime Victims Treatment Center stands with our partners in seeking increased funding for the Parole Board and a holistic, trauma-informed reformation of the parole process in New York State,” said Christopher Bromson, Executive Director of the Crime Victims Treatment Center. “Over the past four decades, we have been at the vanguard of the victim services community, continuously working to break down barriers that stand between survivors of violence and the powerful healing services that we and our colleagues offer. We recognize that many individuals enter the criminal justice system with histories of trauma, and that more may experience devastating sexual victimization during their incarceration. And yet we also believe that healing and change are possible. The Parole Board is uniquely positioned to bear witness to that human capacity for change, and to affirm the possibility of healing from violence. By moving toward thoughtful reform, we can make sure it continues to serve that purpose. And that’s not lost on survivors – both those in our communities, and those behind bars.”

“It’s no secret that the New York State Parole System is in dire need of repair. Simply put, the continuous parole denial of individuals who have completed their mandatory minimum sentences, satisfied their required rehabilitative programming, and in the interest of public-safety, been determined to be least likely to reoffend makes no sense and is definitely not a good way to spend taxpayers’ money. We all bear the burden and share a general responsibility for reforming an unjust and broken parole system. To that end, we at Brooklyn Defender Services relentlessly advocate for a more balanced and transparent system, and we thank bill sponsors Senator Rivera, Senator Hoylman, and Assembly Member Weprin for championing these urgent reforms,” said Samuel Hamilton, Reentry Advocate at Brooklyn Defender Services.

“Osborne is proud to stand with our elected officials, fellow direct service providers, and advocates to call for a fully staffed Parole Board, fair and timely release for people eligible for parole, and elder parole for those aging, sick, and dying in prison. For more than 85 years, our work in prisons has shown us people’s capacity to take responsibility for the harm they have caused and transform their lives,” said Liz Gaynes, President and CEO of the Osborne Association. “If enacted, these proposals will ensure that we have safe and effective alternatives to endless punishment. We cannot punish our way to public safety or continue to incarcerate people into old age and death; it is not who we are and it comes with a tremendous human and financial cost.”

“As a longtime criminal defense attorney and President of the New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, I’m honored to join formerly incarcerated New Yorkers and other advocates in calling for critical reforms to help end mass incarceration in New York State. Today, defenders are convening in Albany to urge immediate passage of open, early, and automatic discovery reform (S.1716-Bailey/A.1431-Lentol). We also express our strong support for urgent parole justice measures, including Elder Parole and Fair and Timely Parole. Ultimately, we must overhaul the system from the front end and the back to make it more fair and just,” said Lori Cohen, President of the New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

The 100+ advocates marched through the Capitol building, rallied on the Million Dollar Staircase, and met with some 30 members of the Assembly and Senate to secure support for the three initiatives—and to introduce them to the people of New York who elected them and are now urging them to make the changes we need in order to bring our elders home, heal our families and neighborhoods, and bring justice to New York. At least three lawmakers added their sponsorship to the Fair and Timely Parole and Elder Parole bills, joining the lead sponsors of the two bills, Senator Gustavo Rivera, Senator Brad Hoylman, and Assemblymember David Weprin.

After the rally, members of RAPP, the Sentencing Project, and the Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement testified at the legislative budget hearing. (Click on group names to read testimony. Watch video of RAPP, video of Nicole Porter of the Sentencing Project , and video of DOCCS Acting Commissioner Annucci’s testimony)

READ press coverage of the rally and the hearing on RAPPCampaign.com/press

SAVE TUESDAY, May 14, 2019 to join our next major Albany advocacy day for parole justice.

January 18, 2019

Gov. Cuomo’s FY 2020 Budget Proposal: No Compassion, No Reform

Statement from Release Aging People in Prison/RAPP
• January 18, 2019 •

Governor Cuomo’s executive budget proposal, announced on January 15, does nothing to end the crisis of aging in prison and fails to address the Parole Board’s woeful understaffing. This proposal ignores decades of research and the detailed recommendations experts, advocates, and community members have repeatedly given. The governor has once again insulted our communities and put forward the exact same policy proposal he offered last year, now under a different name: “compassionate” parole.

There is nothing “compassionate” about the Governor’s supposedly new proposal. It narrowly and ineffectively expands New York’s medical parole program, and does nothing to ensure that more people will be released from prison. In fact, the proposal excludes entire groups of incarcerated people by categories of crime and sentence and allows the Parole Board to deny compassionate release based on the nature of someone’s offense, regardless of how sick they are. Our communities reject the view that some people are unworthy of compassion.

Further, the governor failed to heed our demands to fully staff the Parole Board with Commissioners who are committed to assessing people through their rehabilitation and readiness for release. The seven vacancies on the board have caused harmful delays, procedural unfairness and hopelessness among incarcerated people. Until the governor listens to advocates, implements fair, meaningful and inclusive parole reforms, and promotes release mechanisms that center transformation instead of punishment, New York will continue to have a criminal justice system that creates mass aging, despair and death in prison.

RAPP’s analysis of the governor’s proposals (including our recommendations):
New York State Proposed Budget FY 2020 • State Parole Board Budget & “Compassionate” Parole:

STATE PAROLE BOARD BUDGET:

FY 2019:

In FY 2019, the Governor proposed an increase in Parole Board staffing by allocating $305,000 for three additional Parole Commissioners. *
At the time of the FY 2019 proposal, there were 13 Commissioners and six vacancies on the Parole Board. **
Had the money been used to appoint and confirm three new Commissioners to the Parole Board, the proposed FY 2019 budget allocation would have increased the Board’s capacity to 16 Commissioners, leaving three remaining vacancies.

FY 2020:

In FY 2020, the Governor proposed no increase in money for Parole Board staffing or to the Board’s overall budget. ***
At the time of the FY 2020 proposal, the Parole Board has 12 Commissioners and seven vacancies.
The proposed FY 2020 budget allocation allows the Parole Board to increase its capacity to 16 Commissioners but does not allow for the Board to be fully staffed.

RAPP’s RECOMMENDATIONS (see bottom of page for testimony of RAPP and the Sentencing Project on the budget)

The Governor and legislature should ensure that the Parole Board has the money to increase Parole Board Commissioner staffing to complete capacity—19 Commissioners.
If current budget allocations allow for 16 Commissioners, then the Governor and legislature should increase the Parole Board’s funding by an additional $305,000 so that the Board can be fully staffed in 2019.

*Parole Board Commissioners make $101,600 per year (NYS Executive Law §169).

** See Assembly Yellow Book 2018 (p. 112): https://nyassembly.gov/Reports/WAM/2018yellow/2018files/2018yellowbook.pdf

*** See DOCCS FY 2020 Executive Budget Proposal (p. 4): https://www.budget.ny.gov/pubs/archive/fy20/exec/agencies/appropData/CorrectionsandCommunitySupervisionDepartmentof.pdf

CHANGES TO “COMPASSIONATE” RELEASE:

FY 2019:

In FY 2019, the Governor proposed “geriatric” parole, a new program and extension of New York State’s medical parole program for incarcerated older people, aged 55 and older with serious medical conditions. *

Eligibility:

The proposal excluded people convicted of murder 1, aggravated murder, an attempt or conspiracy to commit either and those sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
To be eligible, incarcerated people must have served at least half of their sentence (half of a determinate sentence or half of the minimum sentence on an indeterminate sentence)

Process:

The DOCCS Commissioner, at the request of the incarcerated person, their spouse, relative or attorney, can order an investigation to determine whether or not an assessment should be made to determine whether or not the person fits the medical standard for “geriatric” parole.
After a physician conducts the assessment, it is reported back to the Commissioner, who decides whether or not to certify the incarcerated person for “geriatric” parole.
If the Commissioner certifies the incarcerated person, then they refer the incarcerated person to the Parole Board within seven days of the certification. The Parole Board ultimately determines whether or not the person is released.

Release determination:

When determining whether or not to release someone on “geriatric” parole, the Parole Board must consider the factors they consider for all parole applicants. Additionally, they must consider the nature of the incarcerated person’s condition and level of care; the amount of time the incarcerated person must serve before becoming eligible for release; the incarcerated person’s current age and age at the time of the crime; and any other relevant factors.
Like for all parole applicants, the Board must provide notice to the sentencing court, district attorney, incarcerated person’s attorney, and the crime victim. They cannot grant “geriatric” parole until the expiration of a 30-day period that allows the aforementioned parties to comment.
The Board has total discretion with regard to the weight it applies to all the factors it must consider when determining whether or not to grant someone “geriatric” parole. They can justify a denial if they determine that release would “deprecate the seriousness of the crime as to undermine respect for the law.”

Post Release:

If released, “geriatric” parole applicants would be supervised by DOCCS.
The Board may require, as a condition of release, that the released person remain under the care of a physician, hospital, nursing home, hospice, family care, or any other placement that can provide the appropriate medical care recommended by the medical assessment.
A discharge plan must be completed with confirmation of the availability of the aforementioned placement.
If the incarcerated person has a cognitive illness that renders them unable to sign off on their discharge plan, and if they don’t have a guardian to do so, then the facility health services director would be empowered to be their guardian and sign off on discharge plans.

Reporting:

The Parole Board Chair must annually report the following to leaders of the legislature: the number of people who have applied for “geriatric” parole; the number of people who have been granted “geriatric” parole; the nature of the illness of the applicants; the counties to which applicants were released and the nature of the community placement; the categories of reasons for denial; the number of people who recidivate post release.

* “Geriatric” parole medical standard: “An incarcerated person suffering from chronic or serious conditions, diseases, syndromes or infirmities, exacerbated by advanced age that has rendered the [person] so physically or cognitively debilitated or incapacitated that the ability to provide self-care within the environment of a correctional facility is substantially diminished.”

FY 2020:

Despite advocates’ deep analysis and detailed recommendations to “geriatric” parole, the Governor proposed “compassionate” parole in FY 2020, which, with the exception of the change in name, is exactly the same as the “geriatric” parole proposal from FY 2019. **

RAPP’s RECOMMENDATIONS:

Pass Elder Parole (S.8581/A6354A): Parole release programs for older people must be inclusive of all older people in prison, not just a small portion of people who are very sick and dying. In place of this proposal, the Governor should champion real elder parole (S8581/A6354A), which would give parole consideration to all people aged 55 or older who have served 15 years or more in prison.

Remove “compassionate” and medical parole restrictions based on crime of conviction. If our state truly values compassion, mercy, and rehabilitation, then this new policy will be inclusive of all people regardless of their crime. By excluding certain people based on crime of conviction, New York guarantees that some older people will die in prison, effectively reinstating the death penalty in New York.

Remove the following proposed language from “compassionate” parole and all other statutes in the Executive Law, “release is not incompatible with the welfare of society and will not so deprecate the seriousness of the crime as to undermine respect for the law” (emphasis added). This punitive language is used in boilerplate fashion in the standard parole denials of tens of thousands of currently and formerly incarcerated New Yorkers. It allows the Parole Board to deny someone based solely on the nature of their crime.

Remove the Parole Board’s requirement to provide notice and a 30-day comment period to the sentencing court, district attorney, incarcerated person’s attorney, and the crime victim.

Create rules that require facility medical providers to do initial “compassionate” parole screenings for people aged 55 and older with serious chronic illnesses to see if such incarcerated people might be eligible for medical parole. This process requirement could begin in the RMUs and DOCCS’ hospice units.

Create more transparency and accountability. Annual reports on medical parole should include detailed summaries of the number of applicants who reached each phase in the application process, as well as HIPPA-compliant information on their conditions. All annual reports should be made available to the public and accessible on the Department of Corrections and Community Supervisions’ website.

** See FY 2020 New York State Executive Budget: Public Protection and General Government Article VII Legislation (p. 363-369): https://www.budget.ny.gov/pubs/archive/fy20/exec/agencies/appropData/CorrectionsandCommunitySupervisionDepartmentof.pdf

READ testimony of RAPP and the Sentencing Project delivered to the NYS Legislature’s Budget Hearings

Take action with RAPP to push back and demand real change in New York State • come to upcoming events, or email nyrappcampaign@gmail.com

November 20, 2018

Mujahid Farid: September 3, 1949—November 20, 2018

We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our dear friend and colleague, Mujahid Farid, who died on the morning of Tuesday, November 20th, 2018 in his home, surrounded by friends, family, and enormous love. A great loss for all of us and for the movement for peace and justice. We will dearly miss our beloved Farid. We will honor his legacy every day in our work and lives.

Here is the obituary that ran in The New York Times (online November 28; print edition, p. B7, on December 1, 2018):

Mujahid Farid, 69, Ex-Prisoner Who Advocated for Older Inmates, Dies

Mujahid Farid in 2012, a year after being released from prison after 33 years. He dedicated the rest of his life to trying to change New York State’s parole system. Credit Correctional Association of New York

By Katharine Q. Seelye, Nov. 28, 2018

Mujahid Farid, a former prisoner who became a prominent advocate for the timely release of elderly inmates, died on Nov. 20 at his home in the Bronx. He was 69.

The cause was pancreatic cancer, his brother Randolph Howard said.

Mr. Farid was a founder and a lead organizer of the organization Release Aging People in Prison, known as RAPP. His interest grew directly from his own experience.

He was incarcerated after being convicted of manslaughter and the attempted murder of a New York City police officer in January 1978. He was given concurrent prison sentences of 11 to 22 years for the manslaughter conviction and 15 years to life for attempted murder.

At the end of the 15-year minimum, the state parole board denied him parole nine times. Court documents show that each time his case came up, the board dwelled almost exclusively on his crimes and his conviction as a violent offender, ignoring his model behavior in prison and his advancing age.

On his 10th attempt, in 2011, Mr. Farid was released after 33 years. He was 62.

Upon his release he dedicated himself to trying to change New York State’s parole system. In 2013, he received a fellowship from the Open Society Foundations, created by the philanthropist George Soros, to help found RAPP, one of the first organizations to advocate for the release of aging people in prison. The group’s prominence and success inspired similar campaigns in other states.

The graying of the prison population is a national phenomenon, with people over 50 becoming the fastest-growing segment. In the next decade, they are expected to make up one-third of inmates nationwide.

Experts consider inmates old starting at 50 because they have higher rates of chronic illnesses as well as stress and poor diets, causing them to age more quickly than people on the outside.

Instead of calling older inmates “lifers,” Mr. Farid helped reframe the public debate — and get more community support — by calling them elderly.

His efforts helped push the New York State Board of Parole, which had been slow to comply with a change in state law, to consider the reduced risk to society posed by older inmates, who have lower recidivism rates than younger inmates.

His organization’s rallying cry became “If the risk is low, let them go.”

Mr. Farid and Laura Whitehorn, a colleague at RAPP, came up with that slogan one night while riding the subway, Ms. Whitehorn said in a telephone interview.

“Farid said, ‘We need a slogan, like Johnnie Cochran had,’ ” she recalled, referring to O. J. Simpson’s lawyer, who memorably told jurors in Mr. Simpson’s murder trial, referring to a glove, “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.”

Mr. Farid also advocated for more minority representation on the parole board. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo ordered that it become more diverse after a New York Times investigation in 2016 documented severe failings of the parole system, including racism and understaffing.

Before these changes, about 25 percent of inmates eligible for parole were released; afterward, the rate nearly doubled.

Mr. Farid, who adopted his name in prison when he became a Muslim, was born William Howard Jr. on Sept. 3, 1949, in Richmond, Va. His mother, Revia (Lightner) Howard, was a nurse; his father was a truck driver.

In addition to his brother Randolph, Mr. Farid is survived by his mother and two sisters, Patricia A. Martin and Denise C. Howard. Another brother, Theodore, died almost a decade ago.

The family moved to Manhattan in the 1960s. Mr. Farid graduated from Theodore Roosevelt High School in the Bronx and became a printer.

In 1977 he fatally shot a man outside a Manhattan bar. The police, after arriving at the scene, said that he had aimed his gun at them and tried to shoot, but that it had malfunctioned, according to court documents. His brother said in a telephone interview that to his dying day, Mr. Farid maintained that he had never aimed at a police officer.

While in prison, he earned four college degrees: an associate degree in business through the New York State Department of Corrections; a bachelor’s in arts and sciences from Syracuse University; a master’s in sociology from SUNY New Paltz; and a master’s in ministry from New York Theological Seminary.

He also counseled fellow inmates, learned sign language to help the hearing-impaired and helped start a program that educated inmates about H.I.V. and AIDS.

Once he was released, “he’d get to the office at 7 a.m., work all day and go to social justice events at night,” Ms. Whitehorn said.

“He fought with every cell of his being for the people he left behind.”

A version of this article appears in print on Dec. 1, 2018, on Page B7 of the New York edition with the headline: Mujahid Farid, 69, Prisoner for 33 Years Who Became Advocate for Older Inmates.

______________

A funeral for Mujahid Farid was held on Saturday, November 24 at Benta’s Funeral Home, 630 St. Nicholas Ave., New York, NY 10030. Farid was buried in Lindenhurst, NJ.

There will be a memorial in the coming weeks (date and time TBD).

With love,
Farid’s RAPP Family

COVID-19, Racism & NYS Prisons: Advocacy Briefings