Contact: Yonah Zeitz – 347-201-2768 – yonah@katalcenter.org
Follow online: #LessIsMoreNY | www.lessismoreny.org
People Directly Impacted by Parole, with Families, Faith-Leaders, and Advocates, Rally in Support of Criminal Justice Reform and the Less Is More Act
Coalition Stands Against Lawmakers Who, in Face of Humanitarian Crisis on Rikers, are Calling for Policies that Make Our Communities Less Safe and Will Lead to More People Sent to Notorious Jail
New York, NY – On Monday, November 22 at 11:00 AM, outside of the Rochester Hall of Justice at 99 Exchange Boulevard, Rochester, NY, and on Instagram at @katalcenter — the #LessIsMoreNY Coalition made up of community members and people impacted by parole in New York rally to support the Less Is More Act, which was signed into law by Governor Hochul in September. New York has the worst parole system in the country in terms of the use of incarceration for non-criminal technical violations of parole — like missing an appointment or testing positive for drugs or alcohol. And the racial disparities are stark, as Black people are incarcerated at 5 times the rate of white people. The #LessIsMoreNY fixes this and promotes safety by eliminating the use of incarceration for many non-criminal technical violations and severely restricts its use for others, allowing people to safely remain with their families and communities as they work on effective reentry.
The Less Is More Act is supported by over 300 community, advocacy, and faith groups, 8 District Attorneys from the counties of Albany, Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Nassau, Queens, Tompkins, Ulster, & Westchester, and law enforcement leaders from across New York including the Albany and Erie County Sheriffs. Less is More also has widespread support from victim rights groups like the New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the New York State Coalition Against Sexual Assaults. A full list of supporters and more information on the Less Is More Act can be found at www.lessismoreny.org.
Coalition groups from across the state and from Rochester– including the Monroe County Public Defenders, Free The People ROC, local city and state-level elected officals, and more — will rally in Rochester Monday morning in support of Less is More. Monroe County holds the distinction of being the worst county in the state when it comes to incarcerating people for non-criminal technical violations of parole. The coalition will confront and reject the lies and fear mongering of the parole officers union, represented by New York State Public Employees Federation (PEF). PEF is calling for more of the status quo, which is to have ever more people, disproportionately Black and brown, continue to be incarcerated for non-criminal technical violations of parole. Mass incarceration is a boon for union jobs with the Department of Corrections, but it’s not good for safety or justice for our communities.
WHAT: Rally in Support of #LessIsMoreNY
WHEN: Monday, November 22 from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
WHERE: Outside of the Rochester Hall of Justice at 99 Exchange Boulevard, Rochester, NY
WHO: #LessIsMoreNY Campaign— People Directly Impacted by Parole, Faith-Leaders, Families, Advocates, and more WATCH LIVE ON INSTAGRAM: @katalcenter
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