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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Zachary Katznelson, Executive Director of Independent Rikers Commission
6:25:03
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126 sec
Zachary Katznelson, Executive Director of the Independent Rikers Commission, testified on the NYC Department of Corrections budget, emphasizing the need for investments in mental health, recidivism prevention, and reentry programs. He criticized the continued funding of Rikers Island and suggested improvements in staffing analysis and reentry services.
- Called for a comprehensive staffing analysis of all eight jails on Rikers Island to determine true budget needs
- Highlighted the importance of connecting inmates receiving treatment with service providers upon release to reduce recidivism
- Proposed a system to notify service providers when individuals are due to be released, similar to the existing system for arrests
Zachary Katznelson
6:25:03
Sure.
6:25:04
Thank you so much.
6:25:05
Good afternoon.
6:25:06
I'm Zachary Katznelson.
6:25:07
I'm the executive director of the independent Rikers Commission.
6:25:11
Thank you for the chance to testify today.
6:25:13
I wanna first thank the council for its continued support and push for the investments that it discussed in its press release this morning, investments to address mental illness, to address recidivism and reentry, investments that are critical to public safety, to closing Rikers, and to ultimately saving this city money.
6:25:32
There are pennies on the dollar compared to Rikers, but the return will be tremendous as opposed to Rikers itself, which it's hard to imagine a worse investment this city can make than continue to pour money into Rikers Island.
6:25:43
I want to touch on two things based on the Department of Corrections' testimony today.
6:25:48
The Department of Corrections said it had that the State Commission on Corrections has done a staffing analysis of one jail on Rikers.
6:25:55
There are eight open jails on Rikers.
6:25:57
So what would happen if the State Commission or somebody else actually analyzed the staffing at all eight jails on Rikers Island, what would that budget look like as compared to what we have today?
6:26:08
You know, when the DOC said the state commission looked at the Bellevue outposted units, it found that many fewer officers were needed than the Department of Corrections said.
6:26:17
So the council could require the Department of Corrections to do a department wide analysis, both civilian and uniformed staff, and then produce a budget that actually matches the true need, whatever that turns out to be.
6:26:30
Secondly, reentry.
6:26:32
Time and again we hear about people who are released from Rikers, people who are getting treatment inside, mental health or addiction treatment, who are not properly connected with service providers on the outside.
6:26:42
That is missed opportunity after missed opportunity.
6:26:45
It's no wonder that a third of people who are released from Rikers every year are back there within a year.
6:26:51
Why don't we set up a system when somebody is going to be released that the service providers on the outside who are meant to help them continue their drug treatment, for instance, they get noticed that it's going to happen?
6:27:01
We have a system right now to service providers when people are arrested.
6:27:05
Why don't we tell them when people are due to be released so we don't miss yet another opportunity?
6:27:09
Thank you so much.