IN RESPONSE TO APPROVED CITY BUDGET, FORMERLY INCARCERATED LEADERS AND ALLIES PRAISE DOC BUDGET LIMITS AND CALL FOR FURTHER ACTION
The New York City Council last night approved the Fiscal Year 2023 budget, which notably did not include funding for 578 additional correction officers proposed by the Mayor in the Executive Budget. In response, members of the Campaign to Close Rikers issued the following statements:
Darren Mack, Co-Director of Freedom Agenda said “We applaud the City Council for drawing an important line in the sand - it’s time to stop writing a blank check for DOC’s corruption and mismanagement. And yet, DOC’s total spending on expenses plus benefits is set to grow this year. NYC is still a long way from rightsizing the DOC budget and shifting money to where it is desperately needed, like housing and healthcare, to close the pipeline that feeds Rikers.”
“It is time to heal our communities. Addressing the root causes of incarceration will make our communities safe. Instead of investing in models that have failed our communities for generations, we need funding and resources allocated to address untreated mental health, substance use disorders, generational poverty, high rates of homelessness and unemployment, and lack of education. Not only is investing in these resources morally responsible, but also fiscally responsible. Investing in supportive housing versus incarceration would save the City over $1.2 billion, and while this budget did prevent DOC’s headcount from growing, it did not fund supportive housing to scale. If we aren’t funding supportive housing, we aren’t closing Rikers, and we aren’t creating true community safety,” said Kandra Clark, Vice President of Policy & Strategy of Exodus Transitional Community.
"The need to drastically reduce the number of New Yorkers incarcerated on Rikers Island is beyond urgent - not only to avoid federal receivership but to ultimately make good on the promise to close Rikers once and for all. The City decided not to fund a wasteful increase in corrections officers, but also failed to fully realize the opportunity in this budget to ensure adequate funding is allotted to facilitate decarceration efforts and ensure all New Yorkers can access the resources and services they need to thrive in their communities and avoid entanglement with the criminal legal system.” said Tracie Gardner, Senior Vice President of Policy Advocacy at the Legal Action Center.
Sharon White-Harrigan, Executive Director of the Women’s Community Justice Association said, “The recent death of Mary Yehudah is a reminder that the Rose M. Singer Center on Rikers is a deadly place for women and gender-expansive people. We need to shut Rosie's now, decarcerate, and transform Lincoln in Harlem into a healing, safe Women's Center for Justice for the few who require higher security. We applaud the City Council for blocking attempts to grow the Department of Corrections budget, and we will continue to advocate for more supportive housing, which is key to shutting Rosie's and bringing women and gender-expansive people back to the community."
Reverend Wendy Calderon-Payne, Executive Director, BronxConnect said “New York City has taken a great step forward and demanded accountability by not funding an increase in corrections officers. We applaud this move as the Department of Corrections has clearly shown an unwillingness to manage budgets and operations responsibly. There is still work to be done though, and the closure of Rikers needs to become a main priority. To successfully do that, the City must strategically invest in supportive services such as housing and mental health. If we are to heal this city, we must begin with addressing the underlying drivers of crime and violence. We must address the real needs of overlooked New Yorkers. Without a holistic strategy that advances community-driven wraparound programs for vulnerable New Yorkers, we risk crippling any hopes of a healthier, more harmonious city.”
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