Because 90% of all prisoners in the United States are in state facilities, the work that states are doing to reduce their prison populations is crucial. Attempting to end mass incarceration necessitates realizing this is a situation requiring not one national solution, but fifty state solutions. Below are current state solutions that could be effectively modeled by other states for meaningful reform.
“As the overall New York City jail population continues to decline, the number of people detained due to technical parole violations is on the rise, a new city study reports. The average daily inmate population for those accused of violating the conditions of their state parole grew from 550 in 2014 to 650 in 2018 – an increase of about 18%, according to data released on Tuesday by the city’s Independent Budget Office.“
New York Daily News
August 27, 2019
Read More“The rate of incarceration in New York City jails is the lowest since 1978, Glazer said, attributing the decline to a citywide decrease in crime, decriminalization of marijuana leading to fewer arrests, and progressive policy changes such as bail reform. The number of people sitting in jail on any given day is down about 36% since 2014, the statistics show, the fastest decline in decades.“
New York Daily News
July 15, 2019
Read More“If completed, the project would transform Rikers Island into a public utility hub that Constantinides said would make it easier to close the two dozen oil- and gas-burning power plants within city limits. The jail is slated to close by 2027, though that timeline could speed up. “
Huffington Post
June 9, 2019
Read More“Seeking a holistic approach to creating safer, more trusting communities, Johnson called for the closing of Rikers Island and the repealing of section 50-A of the New York State Civil Rights Law—the state law that keeps the disciplinary records of officers out of public view. “
John Jay College
June 1, 2019
Read More