December 2021

The Shortest Day of the Year

Today may be the shortest day of the year, yet it marks the beginning of longer days ahead. In just a few weeks, the New York State legislative session will begin and Governor Kathy Hochul will deliver her first State of the State address to lay out her policy agenda and budget priorities.

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Today may be the shortest day of the year, yet it marks the beginning of longer days ahead. In just a few weeks, the New York State legislative session will begin and Governor Kathy Hochul will deliver her first State of the State address to lay out her policy agenda and budget priorities. New York City will have a new mayor, a City Council with a new Speaker and a large incoming class of freshman city council members, and new commissioners at the NYPD and Department of Correction. But while many of the people are new, our focus on the issues we care about is unwavering. Our Osborne Center for Justice Across Generations advocates for policies that support children, families, and older adults; presses for decriminalization and decarceration; and works towards safe and sustainable housing for people coming home from prison and jail.
In 2022, we will continue to work in each of these policy areas, with four critical priorities:

• continuing to take the steps needed to close Rikers Island

• fighting back the fear-mongering attempts to implement more punitive and harmful pretrial/bail policies

• enacting parole reforms, like Fair and Timely Parole and Elder Parole that bring as many people home as possible, as soon as possible and ensure that they have access to safe and sustainable housing

• supporting strong family bonds between children and their incarcerated parents
Much of that work to support strong families is driven by our Youth Action Council, a group of 15 to 18-year-old young people with currently or recently incarcerated parents who organize and advocate for policy change.
Mayor-elect Eric Adams at a Youth Action Council “Visiting at a Lifeline” rally. Brooklyn, NY
Last year, their persistent effort led to the passage of the Proximity bill, ensuring that incarcerated parents with minor children could be placed in prisons closer to home. That law goes into full effect this week. And our young people, policy team, and a broad grassroots network continue alongside sponsors Assemblymember David Weprin and Senator Luis Sepulveda to pass the Protect In-Person Visiting Bill or Raymond’s Law — named for a longtime YAC member and advocate. This bill would codify in-person visiting into State law and make sure video conferencing can never replace it.

Like everything we do at Osborne, our work to transform systems needs community support and community voices. Now, as we welcome so many new leaders into city and state government, your contribution to this effort is much needed and much appreciated.

Elizabeth Gaynes
President & CEO

News & Events
This New York Times article about the challenges of closing Rikers Island includes a quote from Osborne’s President & CEO Elizabeth Gaynes.
Join the People’s Campaign for Parole Justice for an all-day advocacy day in Albany where we will march, rally, and meet with legislators in support of the passage of the Elder Parole and Fair & Timely Parole bills.

RSVP at bit.ly/ParoleJusticeJan11.