{"id":283,"date":"2019-12-28T13:16:54","date_gmt":"2019-12-28T13:16:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.justtalk.blog\/?p=283"},"modified":"2019-12-28T13:17:00","modified_gmt":"2019-12-28T13:17:00","slug":"fear-and-loathing-among-mass-incarcerators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/justtalk.blog\/index.php\/2019\/12\/28\/fear-and-loathing-among-mass-incarcerators\/","title":{"rendered":"Fear and Loathing among Mass Incarcerators"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make no mistake about it: they are afraid. Very afraid. For the\nstate\u2019s new bail reform bill threatens to undermine what our bloated elected\nofficials have spent decades constructing: the machinery of mass incarceration\nthat siphons funds for health and social services into policing and jailing\ninnocent persons. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new bail bill is straightforward:  most of those charged with misdemeanor and\nnon-violent crimes will no longer be given high cash bails. Over 70 percent of\nthe persons in the local jail are rotting there because they can\u2019t afford\nbail.  And many–indeed most by the\nSheriff\u2019s and District Attorney\u2019s own accounts–have substance use or mental\nhealth problems for which there is little if any treatment in the community. The\nwealthy among us, of course, don\u2019t have this problem:  they can post the high bails and afford private\nmedical treatment.  They walk free to\nawait trial, while the poor and sick linger in the jail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bill comes into effect on January 1.  Sheriff Harder estimates it will free 120 persons\nfrom the jail; USA today estimates 150; \nVera Institute, a research group, estimates up to 80% of the 410 or so\npersons in the jail now might come home.  These numbers are higher than expected. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The prospect before us nevertheless remains that the jail–enlarged\nat a cost of $7million in 2015 to hold over 600 persons–may soon hold far less\nthan half that amount.  The cost of building\nand running the jail, not to mention additional policing and court costs, has\ngrown year after year under both Republican and Democrat County Executives:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Rolling back these operations threatens the power base of\nSheriffs, Undersheriffs, and Mayors whose powers and influence have grown fat\non the institutions of mass incarceration. \nState Senator, former County Undersheriff, and current patrolman Frederick\nJ. Akshar II unleashed an inflamed blast yesterday, calling the bill “nothing\nmore but a criminal’s bill of rights\u201d:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe misguided and overreaching bail reform laws\nenacted by New York\u2019s One Party Rule will go into effect, handing out new \u201cget-out-of-jail-free\u201d\ncards for an exceedingly long list of crimes\u2026[1]<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At least we know that the Senator plays monopoly, where wealth, as in the bail and political systems, rules. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Binghamton Mayor Richard David, who has significantly expanded\nthe city\u2019s police force year after year even as crime rates fall, leads a\nstatewide group of Mayors to oppose the bill and related justice reforms.[2]<\/a>\nBroome County Sheriff David Harder has done the same with Sheriff Associations.[3]<\/a> Democrat\nCongressman Brindisi, looking to the next election, has added his voice to the opposition\nto reform as well.[4]<\/a>  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These efforts are not likely to be successful:  communities across the state have rallied to roll back the mass incarceration and mass policing that have unnecessarily jailed tens of thousands in our debtor\u2019s jails and prisons.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What should we do?  We\nmight follow Justice and Unity for the Southern Tier\u2019s local call to reduce the\njail population by at least 70 percent, and plan immediately to reallocate 50%\nof the jail\u2019s annual budget, at least $15 million, to community-based services\nand needs.[5]<\/a>  Providing health and treatment services for\nour residents, rather than pretending incarceration can solve health problems and\nthe lack of housing and jobs, hasn\u2019t served us well. Its time to move on.  This is a time of opportunity. We should\nseize it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

************************************<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Justice and Unity for the Southern\nTier: Key\nObjectives<\/a> (November 2019)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 <\/strong> Reduce the jail population by at least 70% by implementing fully the new state law effectively ending cash bail, providing ample community treatment facilities and other substantive alternatives to incarceration, and prioritizing the release of individuals requiring treatment for substance use, disabilities, and mental health issues<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 <\/strong> Reduce the jail budget in the coming three years by 50%, and use this annual amount of over $15 million for services to over-incarcerated communities, including mental health services, substance use and recovery facilities, and housing<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u2022 <\/strong> Create an independent, empowered, oversight body for the jail, comprised of independent medical experts, the formerly incarcerated, and impacted community members<\/p>\n\n\n\n

***************************<\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[1] WBNG Staff, \u201c\u2018Get out of Jail for Free,\u2019 Senator Akshar Criticizes New Bail Reform Laws,\u201d<\/a> WBNG<\/em> (blog), December 27, 2019, https:\/\/wbng.com\/2019\/12\/27\/get-out-of-jail-for-free-senator-akshar-criticizes-new-bail-reform-laws\/ <\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2]<\/a> \u201cNew York and New Jersey Limit Cash Bail for Crimes. But There\u2019s One Major Difference,\u201d<\/a> Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, accessed December 28, 2019, https:\/\/www.democratandchronicle.com\/story\/news\/politics\/albany\/2019\/12\/17\/ny-and-nj-limit-cash-bail-crimes-but-theres-one-major-difference\/2668074001\/; Karen DeWitt, \u201cMayors Join Chorus of Concerns over 2020 Criminal Justice Reforms,<\/a>\u201d accessed December 28, 2019, https:\/\/www.wxxinews.org\/post\/mayors-join-chorus-concerns-over-2020-criminal-justice-reforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3]<\/a> \u201cBroome County Sheriff Opposes Bail Elimination Act, but Local Organizations Voice Support Following Jail Deaths – Pipe Dream,<\/a>\u201d accessed December 4, 2019, https:\/\/www.bupipedream.com\/news\/112897\/broome-county-sheriff-opposes-bail-elimination-act-but-local-organizations-voice-support-following-jail-deaths\/.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4]<\/a> \u201cBrindisi Says He\u2019s Concerned With Changes to Cash Bail,<\/a>\u201d accessed December 28, 2019, https:\/\/spectrumlocalnews.com\/nys\/central-ny\/politics\/2019\/11\/26\/brindisi-says-he-s-concerned-with-changes-to-cash-bail-; Celia Clarke, \u201cReed, Brindisi Say NY Criminal Justice Reforms Ignore The Rights Of Crime Victims,\u201d<\/a> WSKG, accessed December 4, 2019, https:\/\/wskg.org\/news\/reed-brindisi-say-ny-criminal-justice-reforms-ignore-the-rights-of-crime-victims\/. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5]<\/a> Justice\nand Unity for the Southern Tier, \u201cObjectives and Demands, November 7, 2019,\u201d www.justicest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Objectives-and-Demands-11-4-19.pdf<\/a>,\naccessed December 28, 2019.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Make no mistake about it: they are afraid. Very afraid. For the state\u2019s new bail reform bill threatens to undermine what our bloated elected officials have spent decades constructing: the machinery of mass incarceration that siphons funds for health and social services into policing and jailing innocent persons. The new bail bill is straightforward:  most […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-283","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","post-preview"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/justtalk.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/283","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/justtalk.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/justtalk.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justtalk.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justtalk.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=283"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/justtalk.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/283\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":288,"href":"https:\/\/justtalk.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/283\/revisions\/288"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/justtalk.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=283"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justtalk.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=283"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justtalk.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=283"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justtalk.blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=283"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}