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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Tanya Krupat, Vice President of Policy and Advocacy at Osborne Association
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136 sec
Tanya Krupat from the Osborne Association testified about the importance of addressing the needs of older incarcerated individuals and those returning to communities in New York City. She emphasized the high costs of detaining older people on Rikers Island and advocated for shifting budget priorities from corrections to services that prevent arrest and incarceration.
- Highlighted that more than one in four people in New York State prisons is over 50, and 967 older people are detained on Rikers Island.
- Called for investing in alternatives to detention and incarceration, and training both corrections staff and community providers to be age-aware and incarceration-aware.
- Shared examples of successful reentry programs for older individuals, emphasizing the potential contributions they can make to their communities when properly supported.
Tanya Krupat
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you.
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You, chair Hudson and to the aging committee for your advocacy and dedication.
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My name is Tanya Crewpat.
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I'm the vice president of policy and advocacy at the Osborn Association.
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Osborn is one of the largest and oldest criminal justice service organizations in the state, and we recently began providing a variety of reentry housing specifically for older people.
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Meeting the needs of older people in New York City is critical, and this includes those who are incarcerated and returning here.
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Too often, the needs of older people in jails and prisons and those returning to our communities are overlooked at an enormous cost in dollars, lives, well-being, and lost wisdom and contributions.
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Today, more than one in four people in New York State prisons is over 50.
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And as of this January, '9 hundred and '60 '7 older people are detained on Rikers Island.
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Given the annual cost of detaining someone on Rikers, we are currently spending more than $490,000,000 to keep older people on Rikers.
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This is almost New York City's aging entire budget.
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We oppose any cuts to New York City aging and advocate for shifting the focus of the city's proposed budget so that police and corrections budgets are not increased while critical services that prevent arrest and incarceration are cut.
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Among these, we need to invest in alternatives to detention and incarceration and to train both corrections to be age aware and community providers of aging services to be incarceration aware.
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With research on aging out of crime, we need to better understand why older people are getting arrested and why hundreds of older people are on Rikers.
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In our programs, we see every day what is possible when we address the needs and create supportive communities to welcome older people home and support them in contributing to their families and communities.
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In the community, when you walk into our Marcus Garvey housing program in Brownsville, you sense the joy, compassion, wisdom, and desire to help and contribute.
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Most of our staff are themselves formerly incarcerated, and many residents like mister William, who feeds the fish in the community fish tank every morning, and miss Carmen, who offers cooking classes to residents, are finally experiencing their first home, their first stable and welcoming community.
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We are all missing out when we aren't supporting all older people.
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My written testimony includes other budget requests and provides specific recommendations for actions small and more significant the city can take now.
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Thank you for your dedication to supporting all older people.