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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Kelly Grace Price, Founder/Advocate of Close Rosies, on Women's Incarceration and Board of Correction Needs
6:20:40
ยท
139 sec
Kelly Grace Price from Close Rosies testifies about the disproportionate incarceration of women for minor offenses at Rikers Island and emphasizes the need for increased support for the Board of Correction. She highlights the inequity in how women are treated in the criminal justice system compared to men.
- 25% of women, girls, trans, and intersex individuals at Rose M. Singer Center are held on misdemeanors, compared to less than 3% for men
- Price criticizes the incarceration of individuals for minor offenses like trespassing and turnstile jumping
- She calls for parity between the Board of Correction and Department of Correction, emphasizing the need for PREA audits
Kelly Grace Price
6:20:40
Hi.
6:20:41
It's Kelly Grace Price from Close Rosies.
6:20:43
It's the end of the day and I'll be quick.
6:20:45
Please excuse my my very low broadband.
6:20:47
I'm going to keep it on, just audio only.
6:20:52
The first thing I'd like to address is, this notion that everybody on Rikers is the worst of the worst.
6:20:59
I want to be very clear.
6:21:00
As of today, there are 427 women, girls, trans, or intersex people held on the Rose and Singer Center.
6:21:11
Looking down the list of top charges that they're held for, twenty five percent of these women, girls or trans, intersex or, gender nonconforming people are being held on misdemeanors.
6:21:25
If you look across, the hall and you look at what the men are being held on, less than 3% of the total charges that they're held on top charge are misdemeanors.
6:21:35
So still we have this gross inequity.
6:21:37
Every year I come to this hearing and I testify about the same thing.
6:21:41
Women are being over criminalized in this town.
6:21:44
No one seems to be doing anything about it regardless of all the gender informed ATI programs floating around out there.
6:21:52
We're still hauling people in there for stupid things like petty larceny.
6:21:57
One woman is in there, for trespassing.
6:22:02
There are nine people in there on fugitive warrants.
6:22:04
Okay.
6:22:05
We get that.
6:22:06
But, why are people in there on, subway jumping?
6:22:10
Yes.
6:22:11
There is a 70 year old woman currently sitting on the Rosenzinger Center accused of turnstile jumping, and she was charged with the forge instrument.
6:22:21
I'm gonna quickly move to the things that I always talk about, in this hearing, if you don't mind.
6:22:27
We definitely need parity with the board of correction and, the department of correction.
6:22:33
We ask for that every year.
6:22:34
Please emphasize the Board of Corrections' needs.
6:22:37
We have not had a PREA audit.
6:22:39
We just had a hearing where, councilwoman Sanders
Althea Stevens
6:22:44
expired.
6:22:44
Thank you.
Kelly Grace Price
6:22:45
Asked about why sexual assault wasn't being addressed because we don't have anyone in the board of correction to audit Priya.
6:22:52
I'll turn in my written comments.
6:22:53
Thank you so much.
6:22:54
I'm sorry for going over.
Diana Ayala
6:22:55
No worries, Kelly.
6:22:56
Thank you so much.
6:22:58
We're moving on to Daniel Gerard.