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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Hannah May-Powers, Representative from the Office of the Brooklyn Borough President, Antonio Reynoso
6:18:15
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124 sec
Hannah May-Powers, representing Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, criticizes the mayor's budget for undermining safety and the mandate to close Rikers Island. She argues for rightsizing the Department of Correction (DOC) and redirecting funds to address root causes of incarceration.
- Highlights the high ratio of correctional officers to detained persons on Rikers Island compared to the national average
- Calls attention to budget increases for DOC while programs addressing incarceration causes face cuts
- Emphasizes the need for expanded funding for alternative-to-incarceration programs and housing initiatives to reduce incarceration rates
Hannah May-Powers
6:18:15
Hi.
6:18:16
Good afternoon.
6:18:17
My name is Hannah May Powers, and I'm here on behalf of the Brooklyn Borough president, Antoni Reynoso, to call attention to the ways in which the mayor's budget fundamentally undermines safety and the mandate to close Rikers Island.
6:18:29
The DOC is in desperate need of rightsizing.
6:18:31
The city could save $149,600,000 without a single layoff just by eliminating uniform vacancies.
6:18:38
As of February 27, the ratio of uniformed correctional officers to detained persons on Rikers Island was 0.8 correctional officers to one detained person.
6:18:47
This is vastly higher than the national average of one correctional officer per per 3.6 incarcerated people.
6:18:54
There's an issue with both culture and practice at the DOC, which continues to ignore the abuse of its unlimited sick time system.
6:19:01
Overall, the DOC is set to receive a 9.2% budget increase over last fiscal year.
6:19:07
This increase comes as agencies that seek to address the root causes of incarceration are facing cuts.
6:19:12
As of March 2, there were 6,866 New Yorkers detained on Rikers.
6:19:17
This is drastically higher than the 4,160 person population needed to transition the population to the borough based jails.
6:19:24
Mayor Adams is again attempting to cut some of the most critical programs keeping New Yorkers out of jail.
6:19:30
Unless the funding is restored, ATI programs are slated to lose $14,400,000.
6:19:36
Stable housing is also one of the most impactful ways to address incarceration, and we know that homeless homeless and housing insecure individuals are drastically overrepresented in the criminal legal system.
6:19:47
Though the JISH program expanded in 2019, the expansion has largely remained stagnant due to a lack of provider funding.
6:19:54
The f y twenty six budget must include expanded funding for DISH.
6:19:57
Another agency facing budget cuts is the board of corrections, a critical body that helps keep people safe.
6:20:04
This proposed budget cuts would lead to a 5% decrease in funds for this body.
6:20:08
The city can and do can and must do better for thousands of people impacted by incarceration every day.
6:20:14
We know that social determinants of health, such as safe and dignified housing, stable employment, food insecurity