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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Keli Young, State Policy Advocate at Innocence Project, on NYPD's Gang Database
3:52:22
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Keli Young from the Innocence Project testifies in support of Intro 798, which would abolish NYPD's gang database. She argues that the database serves as a catalyst for wrongful convictions and creates unjust consequences for individuals and communities.
- Young emphasizes that gang databases lack transparency and use subjective criteria, leading to innocent people being wrongly arrested and convicted.
- She cites the Bronx 120 case as an example of the devastating effects of the gang database system.
- Young stresses that the collateral consequences of being added to the database are insurmountable and life-altering for community members.
Keli Young
3:52:22
Good afternoon, Sheriff Salaam.
3:52:23
My name is Kelly Young and I'm a state policy advocate at the Innocence Project.
3:52:27
Thank you for the opportunity to testify in support of intro seven ninety eight.
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As you know all too well, at the Innocence Project, we see firsthand the devastation wrought by wrongful convictions.
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After fighting for years for freedom for their freedom, our clients suffer the impact of their wrongful convictions and incarcerations for the rest of their lives.
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The repercussions of a wrongful conviction are broader than just a single individual.
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They ripple out affecting families, friends, and entire communities.
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NYPD's gang database serves as a catalyst for wrongful convictions, creating a pipeline that transforms routine law enforcement interactions into life altering injustices.
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The use of gang databases flies in the face of the concept of individualized justice.
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These databases do don't track specific criminal acts, but rather create permanent pools of suspects based on highly subjective criteria.
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Once included, individuals face heightened scrutiny and increased likelihood of arrest regardless of their actual conduct.
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Despite the utter lack of transparency, we do know that innocent people are swept into these databases and wrongly arrested and convicted because of them.
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The Bronx 1 20 case demonstrates how devastating this system can be.
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Nearly half of the 120 defendants were not alleged to be gang members, yet they were swept into massive RICO case.
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Despite two thirds having no fel prior felony convictions, 115 defendants plead guilty to felonies, primarily due to the threat of draconian RICO sentences.
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Approximately 70 individuals became felons not through their own direct criminal acts, but through vicarious liability for the conduct conduct of acquaintances over nearly a decade.
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Research has shown that mere association with gang allegations dramatically increases the likelihood of conviction even when evidence is insufficient to meet the standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
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This creates a perfect storm where individuals are labeled as gang members based on non criminal criteria, face enhanced charges and sentences, and then encounter juries predisposed to convict based solely on the gang label.
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The human cost is devastating.
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The routine misconduct I'll end by saying rather than enhance the collateral consequences associated with being just added to the database are insurmountable.
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The harms community members endure from this designation is far reaching and most of the time life altering.
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While I understand that the DOI released a report stating that they did not find any harms, please let me be clear that their job was to investigate how the database operates, not investigate the harms themselves.
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Thank you.
Yusef Salaam
3:54:46
Thank you.