January 15, 2008
Alliance of Nonprofit Criminal Justice Agencies Calls for Rational and Redemptive Parole Policies
An alliance of sixteen New York nonprofit criminal justice organizations announced today their support of parole policies that promote fairness and public safety, and minimize the human and economic costs of incarceration. The group issued its call on the same day that the New York State Standing Committee on Crime Victims, Crime and Correction convened a hearing in Albany to examine a modest increase in parole release rates among those who have served their minimum sentence in full.
Public Safety is Not Enhanced by Decreasing Parole Rates
The US leads the world in incarceration, not only in the numbers and rates of people in prison, but the length of time they serve in prison. “There is no evidence that these policies have left us safer, but rather have reduced the ability of society to provide the education and opportunities that are most directly linked to individuals leading productive, law-abiding lives,” according to Robert Gangi, Executive Director of the Correctional Association of New York.
Decreasing Parole Rates Mark a Decline in the Fairness of Our Parole System
Using the overall rate of release to guide trends of future releases, rather than following legal guidelines and applying them in each case diminishes the fair administration of justice, the Alliance argued. Advocating for a parole release decision making process that is fair, equitable, transparent, responsible and legal, the group asserted that such a process should not depend upon who the governor is or who sits on the parole board, but should be based on law.
During the Pataki years decisions were almost exclusively based on the nature of the crime. The law says that "nature of the crime" is but one of several criteria to be considered in the decision making process. Under Governor Spitzer, parole commissioners have been instructed to follow the law, i.e. consider all of the factors and not just the nature of the crime, and to give equal weight to each of the factors rather than favoring "nature of the crime" as the most important factor.
According to Elizabeth Gaynes, Executive Director of the Osborne Association, “Suggesting that there should not be an increase in parole release rates is tantamount to suggesting that parole commissioners should be marking on a curve. We need to recognize that people can change, and we need to learn to identify the evidence of change. If parole board members apply the law correctly, and if they find that people have met the requirements set forth in the law, and if that leads to more people being released, isn’t that a good thing for New Yorkers?”
Excessive Imprisonment Carries Profound Human and Economic Costs
Unnecessarily high rates of parole denial cost taxpayers a tremendous amount with no gain in public safety, and in fact reduce resources available for the prevention of crime and supervision of those who do pose a danger to public safety, the Alliance asserted. The cost per person of incarceration ($30,000/year) is estimated to be ten times that of parole supervision in the community ($3,000/year).
Further, policies that fail to recognize the possibility of transformation, and that rely nearly exclusively on incarceration as a response to harm, are misaligned with the democratic and spiritual values on which our society is based. Strongly rooted concepts of salvation, mercy, atonement, and redemption must lead us to better ways of ameliorating the lives of all those affected by crime and violence.
“When we repeatedly deny parole to individuals who have met the legal requirements for parole, we may satisfy the short term desire for revenge but we ignore the long term benefit of returning people to their communities where they can make amends, pay taxes, and contribute to their families,” said Sarah B. From, Director of Public Policy and Communications at the Women’s Prison Association.
The New York Alliance for Rational Parole Policies is comprised of the following organizations working with incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals in New York:
Center for Community Alternatives
Citizens Against Recidivism
Coalition for Parole Restoration
College and Community Fellowship
Commission on Re-Entry at the Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood
Correctional Association of New York
Exodus Transitional Community
Family Justice
Fortune Society
Greenhope Services for Women
Interfaith Coalition of Advocates for Reentry and Employment
Legal Action Center
Muslim Re-Entry Initiative
Osborne Association
Prison Action Network
Women’s Prison Association
|
