The Legislature must reform N.Y. prisons

^{_{Robert Brooks, killed by correction officers at Marcy Correctional Facility, Dec. 9 2024 (Courtesy of the Brooks family)}}

With multiple delays and policy maneuvering, Gov. Hochul bullied the Legislature into the budget of her liking. With a state budget savaged by federal program cuts, Trump tax policy and a related disinterest by Hochul to tax New York’s wealthiest to back-fill the gaps, she allocated $4.15 billion to the state’s prison agency (DOCCs), plus an added payout of nearly $1 billion for the National Guard currently staffing some upstate facilities.
While the governor poses as a strong fiscal and personnel manager at a time when New Yorkers are seeking their own pocketbook relief, that image is hard to justify when looking at DOCCS. Since 2011 the state prison population has dropped nearly in half, but spending on the prison system has doubled. Nevertheless the money keeps flowing….