ALBANY, NY – FWD.us New York State Director Alana Sivin issued the following statement today on the Legislature’s failure to advance sentencing reform in the 2024 New York legislative session: 

“As the legislative session ends, we are disappointed that lawmakers did not approve commonsense sentencing reforms like the Earned Time Act (S774/A1128), Second Look Act (S321/A531), and the Marvin Mayfield Act (S6471/A2036A), all strongly supported proposals to create meaningful opportunities for New Yorkers to return home while improving safety both inside and outside of prisons.

“We are, however, encouraged by the dozens of additional legislators who signed on to sponsor these bills, as well as the diverse coalition of supporters, which now includes labor unions, business leaders and former corrections officials.

“While the Legislature’s failure to pass any one of these policies means thousands of New Yorkers will continue to serve extremely long sentences that do not improve public safety, we end this session with a growing list of supporters both inside and outside the Capitol for these crucial reforms and the overwhelming research that shows they will reduce recidivism, save taxpayer dollars, and strengthen communities. We look forward to building on that momentum so New York lawmakers successfully pass these widely-supported and evidence-based policies in the next legislative session.”