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Statement: The #LessIsMoreNY Campaign Responds to Lies and Inaccuracies in Recent NY Post Article

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, October 31st, 2022

Contact:

Yonah Zeitz, yonah@katalcenter.org | (347) 201-2768

Follow on Twitter @katalcenter #LessIsMoreNY

The #LessIsMoreNY Campaign Responds to Lies and Inaccuracies in Recent NY Post Article 

Statement from Yonah Zeitz, Director of Advocacy at Katal, on behalf of the #LessIsMoreNY Campaign: 

Today, the NY Post published an article filled with misinformation and outright lies regarding the Less Is More Act. The article focused on people on parole who are charged with new crimes and repeatedly made erroneous statements about how Less Is More impacts them.  The Less Is More Act did not alter the penalties for people on parole who commit new crimes, nor did it change the process for obtaining warrants for such allegations. The only piece of the parole violation process that was changed for people on parole accused of new crimes is the creation of a recognizance hearing, which can be held simultaneously with their arraignment on the new criminal charges. Before Less Is More, anyone accused of any parole violation was automatically detained while their parole violation hearings were conducted, which could take over three months. A recognizance hearing prevents automatic incarceration and instead allows a judge to determine whether the person should be detained. This bolsters due process, which is one of the pillars of our legal system. 

The authors of this article and the individuals quoted either have not read the law they are discussing or are purposely choosing to ignore the facts to push their racist and vile political agendas. Either way, it is despicable and shows zero journalistic integrity. But that is to be expected from the NY Post, which consistently chooses racialized fearmongering over facts.  

Here is the truth: this law is working to make New York a fairer, more just, and safer state for all.”

Background:

For decades prior to the passage of Less Is More, people on parole would face frequent disruptions to their reentry process because the parole system focused more on punishment than support. New York imprisoned more people than any other state—at more than six times the national average—for non-criminal “technical violations” of parole rules, like missing an appointment with a parole officer, being late for curfew, or testing positive for alcohol, marijuana, or other drugs. Across the state, Black people were 5 times more likely and Latinx people 30 percent more likely to be reincarcerated for a technical parole violation than whites. This practice cost New York State taxpayers more than $680 million annually with no commensurate public safety gains.

#LessIsMoreNY is a statewide coalition of community groups, service providers, and public safety experts who worked together to enact the #LessIsMoreNY Act. The coalition is now working to implement the new law effectively. The #LessIsMoreNY campaign is led by the Katal Center and Unchained. For more information, visit www.lessismoreny.org.

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