Albany, NY – A community town hall was held on Wednesday at St. John’s COGIC to call attention to the devastating effects of mass incarceration in Albany County and across New York State.
Currently, 64% of the people jailed in Albany County have not been convicted of any wrongdoing. They are legally innocent but denied their freedom because they cannot afford bail while their constitutional right to a fair and speedy trial is consistently violated.
Wednesday’s town hall marked the conclusion of the #FREEnewyork Statewide Town Hall Tour that included packed events in five counties across the state: Westchester, Nassau, Erie, Monroe, and Duchess. With 250+ partner organizations and faith leaders across the state, the #FREEnewyork campaign is calling for a comprehensive overhaul of New York’s bail, discovery, and speedy trial laws that goes further than Governor Cuomo’s proposed half-measures.
“I’ve watched the criminal justice system ravage my community for decades. Reform is a beginning but is inconsequential without restorative measures put in place. I attributed my involvement with our justice system to personal moral failure, I didn’t have the tools to look critically, systemically or through a racial justice lens. I do now,” Amy Jones, Community Engagement Coordinator at Center for Law & Justice.
“When one looks at how the criminal justice system actually functions, it is apparent that the real work of the legal system is to cause trauma and harm to families and communities. Punitive bail policies, over-aggressive policing, out-of-date and unfair rules on pretrial discovery, and reliance on revenge and incarceration as ‘solutions’ to social and community problems, all work together to damage individuals and communities. No basis exists to believe that public safety is enhanced by these policies and practices. It is time for a change,” said Albany attorney and activist Mark Mishler.
“We need to eliminate a system of money bail that punishes low-income people and people of color and reverse the damage done to our communities by investing in quality public schools, mental health services, and affordable child care,” said Jamaica Miles, Lead Organizer for Citizen Action of New York. “The partial reforms being pushed by Governor Cuomo won’t fix the problem.”
“I have experienced the injustice of New York’s pretrial system first-hand. With a bail I could not afford and no access to evidence about my case, I languished in the Westchester County Jail before it became clear to the court that the DA simply did not have any evidence. I was taken from my children and lost two years of my life,” said Priscille Echi, #FREEnewyork Campaign Leader and JustLeadershipUSA member. “There’s only one solution to ensure that other people don’t have to relive my experience: groundbreaking overhaul of our bail, discovery, and speedy trial laws. That’s why I joined the #FREEnewyork campaign–I knew my story could help push these reforms forward, and I know we need to do that for the sake of all New Yorkers.”
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