By ETHAN GERINGER-SAMETH / CRAINS NEW YORK BUSINESS
A package of bills that has floated in Albany for close to a decade would make it easier for imprisoned seniors to receive parole, a measure supporters say is both humane and cost-saving as state lawmakers look for ways to plug a multi-billion-dollar outyear budget gap.
The bills have gained traction in the state Legislature over the years and came close to passing last spring before being scuttled in end-of-session talks. But while support has grown, backers fear the package could languish again as Democratic lawmakers hunker down for an election year.
“Last year it looked like either one of those bills could have passed and they just said, ‘No.’ This year we’re in the same predicament,” said Anthony Dixon, an advocate for the bills who was released from state prison in 2016 after more than 30 years behind bars.
One bill, known as the Elder Parole Act, would require individuals over 55 who have served at least 15 years to receive a parole board interview. A second bill, the so-called Fair and Timely Parole Act, would instruct the board to grant parole unless a detainee is deemed at risk of reoffending….