Incentivizing program participation through the Earned Time Act will better prepare people for successful reentry and increase participation in the workforce moving forward.
New York’s economy is suffering from a labor shortage exacerbated by people who are needlessly locked out of the workforce by incarceration and its collateral consequences.
New York will never reach its full potential unless we advance common-sense sentencing reforms that will safely reduce the prison population, reunite families, and strengthen the state’s workforce, while also protecting public safety.
A robust body of research, built over decades, has proven that jail stays and long prison sentences do not reduce crime. At the same time, the harms of mass incarceration are clear: it breaks families apart, destabilizes communities, and aggravates the very types of racial and economic inequality that make communities more vulnerable to gun violence. Fortunately, we also have powerful evidence about what does work to reduce crime and, in particular, gun violence. Achieving public safety for all New Yorkers means avoiding the failed policies of the past and, instead, choosing proven solutions, supported by data, that strengthen and protect communities.
Bail reform has contributed to the prosperity of New York by allowing people to maintain their lives in their communities rather than remain in jail awaiting trial. It also has not compromised public safety, demonstrating, once again, that effective criminal justice policy can reduce incarceration while maintaining safety. Analysis by FWD.us showed that the vast majority of cases affected by bail reform did not result in a re-arrest for a violent felony, and overall rearrest rates remained stable pre- and post-bail reform.
Hear from FWD.us New York State Director for Criminal Justice Reform, Alana Sivin as she talks with Errol Louis about bail reform successes in New York.
Hear from real New Yorkers why bail reform must be protected.
New York passed a historic package of pretrial reforms in 2019. Watch three New York families explain how money bail harmed their families and how they fought for change.
We need your help to move America forward. Learn what you can do.