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Q&A
Council Member Sandy Nurse questions DOC officials about state prison transfers and parole hearings
1:20:10
·
3 min
Council Member Sandy Nurse initiates a discussion about the closure of state prison facilities and its impact on Rikers Island. DOC officials, including First Deputy Commissioner Francis Torres and Deputy Commissioner James Conroy, respond to questions about ongoing conversations with state corrections, the timeline for upstate transfers, and the possibility of facilitating parole board hearings at Rikers.
- The state has reopened intake as of May 5, but the number of transfers is not ideal due to statewide demand.
- There are currently 912 individuals at Rikers who are "state ready" for transfer.
- DOC is exploring the possibility of conducting parole board hearings at Rikers for those nearing their parole eligibility date.
Sandy Nurse
1:20:10
I'm gonna transition to a conversation about the state prison facilities.
1:20:17
Well, closure of three additional state prison facilities, and wondering what have been the nature of the conversations between you all and state corrections on how to get folks who are sentenced and waiting to move upstate off of Rikers?
Francis Torres
1:20:33
So thank you very much for that question.
1:20:36
Our conversations with the state are ongoing.
1:20:40
Our commissioner continues to have those conversations on a weekly basis.
1:20:46
Our custody management unit also has those conversations on a daily basis.
1:20:54
The challenge for the state right now is that as it opened its intake, it's not just taking persons from our our own jurisdiction but rather the entire state.
1:21:06
And so the conversations are ongoing.
1:21:09
It's not a secret that we are and have been managing a bed capacity challenge.
1:21:17
Our staff and our members of very specific divisions and units have really done an incredible job in basically ensuring that we have all the necessary cells.
1:21:32
All the necessary housing areas.
1:21:35
That we have a bed for every person that remains in our care as well as those that are coming in.
1:21:42
But the conversations, Chair,
Sandy Nurse
1:21:43
are ongoing.
1:21:44
Ongoing.
1:21:45
I imagine.
1:21:45
Has the state provided a date in which any date or any timeline in which they'll resume upstate transfers?
Francis Torres
1:21:51
So they have already opened up as of May 5.
1:21:55
The numbers that they're taking for us are not ideal because they need to basically take from every county.
1:22:03
I think that we they have taken so far approximately 87 persons that are state ready, but the number and the challenge that we have is that those who are deemed state ready right now are a large number for us.
1:22:20
What's the number?
1:22:25
It exceeds 900.
1:22:29
As of today, it's nine twelve state ready.
Julian Colón
1:22:32
Okay.
Sandy Nurse
1:22:38
For people who are nearing their parole eligibility date, have you discussed the possibility of facilitating parole board hearings at Rikers?
James Conroy
1:22:49
I've had conversations with DOCS and their counsel.
1:22:55
Well, not directly with their counsel, assistant commissioners about that.
1:22:58
I mean, I think we really have to look at exactly what you're talking about and I've mentioned this, because as we go along, people are credited with the time that they were in our custody to begin with.
1:23:07
So I think there's a circumstance where they're approaching a lot of those end of sentence or parole eligible type dates.
1:23:16
They've committed to do that again unfortunately because of what the first deputy commissioner said that they're doing it statewide.
1:23:22
You know, they haven't been able to dedicate anyone to us directly yet, that's our hope because I think it's a really important thing that they need to look at.
Rita C. Joseph
1:23:30
Okay.