New York State
Members of Congress join the fight to pass parole reform in New York
Fair and Timely Parole as well as Elder Parole have languished in the state Legislature, but momentum for the bills is building.
Rep. Dan Goldman and several other members of Congress are supporting two parole reform bills in the state Legislature. Spencer Platt/Getty Images
On the heels of statewide rallies in support of passing parole reform, seven members of Congress have sent a letter to state leaders calling on them to pass two measures that have languished for several years in Albany.
The lawmakers called for the passage of Fair and Timely Parole, and Elder Parole. The first would make it easier for people who are eligible for parole to have it granted, while the latter would make most incarcerated people aged 55 or older eligible for parole. “Respectfully, we believe that parole release reform should be next on the agenda,” the members wrote. “These bills will promote rehabilitation in prison, improve safety, and reunite families in our districts.”
The signatories include traditionally more moderate Democrats, perhaps most notably Rep. George Latimer of Westchester County and the Bronx. The others are Reps. Dan Goldman, another centrist Democrat, progressive Nydia Velazquez and Grace Meng, Adriano Espalliat, Jerry Nadler and Yvette Clarke. “Ultimately, we support these bills because we value safety above endless punishment – and we believe that no one should be forever judged by the worst thing they have ever done,” the members wrote.
The seven members of Congress join a broad coalition of people and groups that have gotten behind the parole bills, including three New York City district attorneys. Support for the measures has also steadily grown in the state Legislature, even though lawmakers still haven’t passed them. Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the Less is More Act – another parole reform measure – in 2021, but the other two bills have so far failed to gain enough traction despite years of advocacy.
Criminal justice advocates were gearing up for a new year of fighting for the parole reforms on Monday, holding rallies across the state to kick off a new campaign. The two measures, as well as a separate package of sentencing reform bills, will likely be top priorities for activists in Albany next year.
Parole and sentencing reform gained steam in the previous legislative session as high-profile deaths at state prisons and a wildcat corrections officers strike brought renewed attention to the state’s prison system. Following negotiations earlier this year, lawmakers approved an omnibus prison reform and oversight bill – but parole and sentencing measures were left out.