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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Jennifer Parish, Director of Criminal Justice Advocacy at Urban Justice Center Mental Health Project
6:30:01
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133 sec
Jennifer Parish testified in opposition to the Department of Corrections' large budget and urged the council to reallocate funds to benefit the community and reduce incarceration. She highlighted the department's failure to keep incarcerated people safe and healthy, citing a recent court decision appointing a remediation manager.
- Parish emphasized that the DOC is overstaffed, not understaffed, despite having enormous resources.
- She argued against allocating money for 7,060 uniform staff positions, noting 1,100 vacancies and expected retirements.
- Parish supported budget allocations proposed by the campaign to close Rikers instead of funding the Department of Correction.
Jennifer Parish
6:30:01
Hi, good afternoon.
6:30:03
My name is Jennifer Parish.
6:30:04
I'm the director of criminal justice advocacy at the Urban Justice Center Mental Health Project.
6:30:09
Thank you for this opportunity to testify and for all the council has done related to closing Rikers.
6:30:15
I'm here today to express our opposition to the Department of Corrections' exorbitant budget and urge the council to reallocate a portion of that age of that agency's $1,200,000,000 budget in a way that actually benefits our community and reduces incarceration.
6:30:31
Those are investments that will improve public safety and advance the plan to close Rikers.
6:30:36
The Department of Correction has demonstrated to you time and time again that it's incapable of fulfilling its fundamental obligation to keep people in its custody safe and healthy.
6:30:46
Just two weeks ago in the class action, Nunez versus Department of Correction chief US district judge Laura Swain issued a decision finding it necessary to appoint a remediation manager.
6:30:58
This is an individual outside of the department, independent of city hall, to protect the constitutional rights of incarcerated people and reduce jail violence.
6:31:08
This decision came after years, actually nine years of being monitored, nine years of failing to comply with the consent judgment, and multiple remedial orders.
6:31:18
And the judge identified 18 core provisions that the city was in contempt of.
6:31:24
But what the court did not find was that the department was understaffed.
6:31:28
She said that the department has enormous resources which are not being effectively deployed.
6:31:34
And she specifically described it as overstaffed.
6:31:36
So the city must stop pouring money into the dysfunctional department of correction and that should be done in this year's budget.
6:31:43
They have allocated far too much money for uniform staff, seven thousand and sixty officers, and that's not going to happen.
6:31:50
It's not gonna be filled.
6:31:51
There are 1,100 vacancies.
6:31:54
And you heard this morning that they testified there's a small number of recruits joining the department and a significant number of staff that are going to retire.
6:32:04
We support all of the budget allocations that are included in the campaign to close Rikers analysis of the budget and we hope that you'll fund them instead of the Department of Correction.