(New York) – New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli released a new report, “Post-COVID Trends in New York’s Aging Prison Population,” which recommends that state lawmakers consider parole reforms and other measures to safely reduce the number of older adults in state prisons.
In response, Jose Saldaña, Director of the Release Aging People in Prison Campaign (RAPP) and a survivor of 38 years in New York State prisons and a crime survivor, released the following statement:
“Comptroller DiNapoli said ‘New York must confront the challenges of an older incarcerated population’ and we agree. The solution is clear. Lawmakers must finally enact the Elder Parole and Fair & Timely Parole bills, two common sense measures included in the Comptroller’s report that would establish reasonable pathways to release based on a person’s transformation in prison and current risk to public safety. The evidence is clear that forcing completely rehabilitated older adults to spend their final years in prison costs a fortune and delivers zero public safety benefit. They have the lowest rates of reoffending once released and the highest medical bills while imprisoned. Crime victim advocates, racial justice leaders, organized labor, District Attorneys, the Attorney General, and defense attorneys alike support these measures because they will not only make the system more fair, but will also allow the state to put its limited resources toward what actually keeps New Yorkers safe.” …