Campaigners based in New York are calling for Governor Kathy Hochul and the state legislature to back legislation aimed at overhauling the criminal justice system. As the end of the year approaches, and with the forthcoming state legislative session in January, these advocates are gathering at the New York State Capitol in Albany. Their objective is to highlight key issues they wish to be addressed in the coming year. This Monday saw individuals, either formerly incarcerated or directly impacted by family members’ imprisonment, voicing demands for modification of sentencing procedures.
One of such advocates, Lukee Forbes, was involved in a violent assault in Albany at 15, and released nine years later. Forbes states that their push is not for leniency on crime but rather a request for a more person-oriented approach from the judges. Forbes calls on the judiciary to view each case as involving human lives, not merely as a legal matter to be resolved.
The group of advocates is collectively campaigning for the passing of three bills. The Second Look Act, one among them, permits those who have been incarcerated for ten years or more to seek a review of their sentences. Another piece, the Earned Time Act, allows the reduction of sentencing period through good time and programs based on merit.
The third bill is named the Marvin Mayfield Act, whose central aim is to put an end to minimum obligatory sentences. Forbes, who has personally experienced the criminal justice system, speaks of falling in with the wrong crowd during his late mother’s battle with AIDS. This unfortunate alignment resulted in his incarceration based on testimony regarding a group assault, despite being a minor at the time. He highlighted the judiciary’s tendency to see him as a charge rather than recognize his young age, which had a profound impact on his trial.
Jaime Bailey-Warren, whose husband has been imprisoned for twenty years on charges of second-degree murder and robbery, shares her belief in ‘defiant hope’. She presses for the envisioning of a system genuinely rooted in justice. Bailey-Warren advocates for a system that favors rehabilitation over punishment, equitable sentencing, second chances for offenders and tackling the root issues of crime such as poverty, educational deficits, and mental health complications.
Bailey-Warren, currently employed as a special education teacher at Long Lake Central School District, shared her husband’s perspective on his conviction, quoting parts of his letter. He expressed the pain of irretrievable lost time, and the daily hardships he endured, on a mental, physical, and spiritual level. In his views, the present system persists in reinforcing injustices through excessive sentencing, which disrupts family dynamics and severs communal ties.
In support of the reform, Melanie Trimble, the Director of Capital Region Chapter of New York Civil Liberties Union, argues that restructuring of the criminal justice system would simultaneously address racial inequalities. She pointed out the unfair impact of stringent sentencing guidelines on minority groups, asserting that resources, rather than high jail populations, are at the core of safe communities.
Terel Overton, affiliated with the Albany-based Center for Community Alternatives, was granted parole this year after a twenty-year long grueling conviction for second-degree murder; a crime he insists he didn’t commit. Overton considers himself an embodiment of the school-to-prison pipeline, having spent his key developmental years behind bars. He talked about his transition from a gang member to a confidant and mentor, highlighting the transformative journey he had been through in prison.
Darryl Johnson, who is part of the Center for Law and Justice in Albany, served ten years for dealing drugs in New York City. While he owns up to the wrongdoing, Johnson contends that his sentence length seemed more a reflection of his geographical location than the actual damage done. His concern that the war on drugs seemed more like a war on certain communities was shared by 18 of those from 117th Street that ended up in prison.
Currently, all three proposed bills are on hold in committee. Should they pass in both legislative branches, an official from Governor Hochul’s office said they would undergo a careful review. The larger hope among this group of advocates remains the infusion of a more compassionate and individual-focused approach within New York’s criminal justice system.
While their requests are heavily grounded in personal experiences, they highlight broader community-based impacts of the current legal system. The rallying cry is towards a shift that looks beyond mere punishment to consider other interrelated dimensions and realities that result in crime. This is a call for a justice system rooted in personal redemption, community reformation, and tackling of the societal problems that frequently lead to criminal acts.
The vision forwarded by these advocates may require fundamental changes in the existing structure and operation of the legal system. Yet, they stand firm in the belief that only through such changes can the cycle of mass incarceration and its devastating impacts on communities be broken. Their collective voice, represented through personal stories and shared experiences, is a beacon in the ongoing discourse on criminal justice reform in the state of New York.
Only time will tell if their pleas for reform will inspire the required legislative action. However, the sheer determination displayed by those demanding these changes is a testament to a broader societal desire for a justice system that is restorative, equitable, and compassionate. Advocates hope to see these ideals reflected in the laws of New York, ultimately culminating in a justice system that acknowledges the human factor in every case, merits rehabilitation over extended sentences, and confronts the underlying societal issues that engender crime.