Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
Q&A
Discussion on reentry services goals and implementation
2:32:48
·
172 sec
Council Member Cabán questions Director Logan about the goals and implementation of reentry services for people leaving Rikers Island. They discuss the aim of assessing every person entering jail and providing them with necessary support programs.
- Logan confirms this is still a goal but cannot provide specific numbers on how many people are receiving reentry planning.
- Cabán expresses concern about the lack of concrete data on service provision.
- Logan clarifies that about 1,500 people in discharges receive services each year, but emphasizes that these services are voluntary.
Tiffany Cabán
2:32:48
I want to shift a little bit now to reentry services.
2:32:53
So we know that approximately 74% of the people at Rikers return to our communities.
2:32:59
Comprehensive reentry planning obviously is really essential, along with housing, to prevent recidivism.
2:33:07
In 2017, it was announced that every person who enters a jail would meet with counselors to assess their needs, to identify vocational, educational, therapeutic community program to support their long term stability.
2:33:18
Is that still a goal of of the department?
Deanna Logan
2:33:26
It is the goal of the administration to have everybody meet with partners and MACJ along with the Department of Correction work together to ensure that we are trying to get everyone assessed who needs reentry services and coming back into community along with making sure that our partners are ready in community to accept those individuals who have been getting that level of assessment.
Tiffany Cabán
2:33:49
So with that as the goal, what proportion of people who are returning from Rikers to our communities are receiving reentry planning?
Deanna Logan
2:33:57
I have to see how many I need to get the number of those individuals that we're servicing in terms of who is being seen by partners in terms of reentry services.
Tiffany Cabán
2:34:08
Okay.
2:34:10
Again, your testimony says you're doing the hard work.
2:34:16
You named reentry strategies as critical to this work, and you don't have the information that we're asking for that's directly related to that.
2:34:27
This continues to be a recurring problem.
2:34:30
I I want to be able to ask what's your plan to ensure that everyone who needs the services actually receives them.
2:34:37
But we don't have a number on what your gap is.
2:34:41
And I'm assuming if you don't have the number on what the gap is then you don't have a time frame to fill that gap and achieve those goals.
2:34:48
And having those answers seems pretty critical also to the hard work you're you're doing.
Deanna Logan
2:34:57
So council member, just just so that we're clear.
2:35:00
Go ahead.
2:35:01
In terms of reentry services, those are voluntary.
2:35:05
We know that our partners are servicing about 1,500 people in discharges each year.
2:35:13
Again, it is a voluntary service that's not mandated that individuals in custody take that service.
2:35:21
But I'm saying that is it being readily is it being offered and readily available to every single person that is leaving Rikers?
2:35:32
It is offered to all of the people in custody, and about 4,000 people are overall take those services.