RAPP Campaign
Release Aging People in Prison Campaign
During the summer of 2025, the Ulster County Legislature and more than 135 organizations submitted open letters advocating passage of the Fair & Timely Parole and the Elder Parole Bills, full implementation of the HALT Act, and more . . .
Rebecca C. Lewis / City & State NY — During his long career in the state Legislature, O’Donnell supported expanding parole – and soon, he’ll get to decide who deserves it...
ALBANY, NY (06/06/2025) (readMedia) — This morning, the New York State Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus (BPHA) held a press conference unveiling the "Robert Brooks Blueprint for Justice & Reform", a legislative package aimed to address systemic patterns of abuse and violations of human rights in New York's jails and prisons. One of the priority bills in this package is the Fair Access to Justice Act (A649 Cruz / S844 Salazar), which would remove unfair legal hurdles keeping survivors abused in state custody from accessing the justice they deserve....
Anthony Dixon / Queens Daily Eagle — No one should be judged unworthy of freedom by those who’ve never had to earn it back. Recently, the New York City Council passed Resolution 414-A, with a majority of Queens Councilmembers voting aye, backing a bill introduced by Senator Cordell Cleare requiring the Governor and State Legislature to appoint at least one formerly incarcerated person to the New York State Board of Parole . Though the Council lacks appointment power, its message was unmistakable: those most impacted by incarceration must help shape the system that determines freedom...
Tom Eschen / CBS 6 ALBANY WRGB — A discrepancy with "no rational explanation" is causing criminal justice advocates to call for Governor Kathy Hochul to make changes to New York's parole board, and for the legislature to pass parole reform bills this session...
Anthony Dixon / Queens Daily Eagle — No one should be judged unworthy of freedom by those who’ve never had to earn it back. Recently, the New York City Council passed Resolution 414-A, with a majority of Queens Councilmembers voting aye, backing a bill introduced by Senator Cordell Cleare requiring the Governor and State Legislature to appoint at least one formerly incarcerated person to the New York State Board of Parole . Though the Council lacks appointment power, its message was unmistakable: those most impacted by incarceration must help shape the system that determines freedom...
[F]or the last nine years of available data, the Parole Board was 22.26% less likely to release a person of color than a white person. This systemic failure remains persistent and is only getting worse...
Julia Salazar & Tracie Adams / NY Daily News — Thousands of New Yorkers who have served their time remain languishing behind bars. The systemic failure to release those ready to return home strains a dangerous carceral system and costs New York taxpayers billions of dollars every year. But we have safe and practical solutions available...
Austin C. Jefferson / City & State New York — New York finally has a budget, but there is still over a month left to go in the legislative session. State lawmakers covered a lot in the $254 billion spending plan, from public safety to education and housing. But other policy issues still remain on the docket...
Alton Lee / Hudson Valley Times — As a veteran, I’m offended that those who attacked our Capitol in Washington D.C. on January 6, 2021 were rewarded by President Trump with blanket pardons simply because of their unquestioning loyalty to him. As a formerly incarcerated person, I’m outraged that so many other people in prison, who have done tremendous work to turn their lives around and give back to society, still languish there without any such recognition....
Johan Sheridan / News10 ABC — ALBANY, N.Y. (NEXSTAR) Lawmakers, activists, and families of incarcerated New Yorkers gathered Tuesday at the New York State Capitol to demand that the State Legislature pass a pair of parole reform bills. The “Parole Justice for Our Futures” rally called for policies that prioritize rehabilitation without compromising community safety...
Tandy Lau / NY Amsterdam News — Last fall, NYU School of Law’s Center on Race Inequity and the Law released findings on how the state parole board was significantly more likely to deny non-white people their release, particularly under Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration between the beginning of 2022 and June 2024. The report’s updated version, which includes numbers all the way until Sept. 2024, was provided to the Amsterdam News...
