Unlocking Billions: A Fiscal Analysis of Pending Justice Reforms in New York State
This report examines several key pieces of pending legislation and initiatives in New York State, all of which already have significant support: Elder Parole, Fair and Timely Parole, the HALT Solitary Confinement Act, prison closures, restoring TAP eligibility for college access, and marijuana legalization.
The massive uprising against racism and state violence has fueled a reckoning with the policing and incarceration systems, and spurred on calls specifically around defunding the police and more generally around abolishing the incarceration system. At the same time, the economic fall-out of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to massive budget shortfalls and significant funding cuts to essential services at the exact time that such services are needed most. New York State, the country, and the world, need a deeper reckoning with how our collective wealth and government resources are used, particularly in moving away from criminalizing and incarcerating people toward human services and supports that actually help people and communities thrive. In the current moment, there is pending legislation in New York State with significant support in the legislature that would shift resources away from the carceral state when such resources are needed now more than ever. This report analyzes the fiscal implications of some of these critical measures, finding that implementing them would collectively save and/or generate an estimated $1.52 billion for the state annually.