From The Fortune Society:

Yesterday, we were very excited to hear Governor Cuomo’s announcement in his 2014 State of the State address that he will establish the NYS Council on Community Re-Entry and Reintegration, which will bring leadership from a wide array of agencies together to maximize the effectiveness of New York’s efforts to promote successful reentry from prison and to ensure that State policies regarding the broad spectrum of issues that impact formerly incarcerated individuals are aligned with federal and local efforts.  We at The Fortune Society recognize the urgency of the situation, as we see more than 4,000 formerly incarcerated individuals each year walking through our doors in need of assistance and conduct advocacy on behalf of hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers with criminal histories who are struggling to reintegrate into society upon release from prison or jail.  While the State has made many strides in this area, in partnership with federal and local government, we still have a long way to go in eliminating discrimination directed at formerly incarcerated individuals and ensuring that they have access to opportunities, so that they can establish a positive and productive life for themselves and their families.  We are eager to hear more about the launch of this new Council and will actively seek out the opportunity to participate in its work and ensure that it lives up to its mission.
 
We also applaud Governor Cuomo’s announcement to establish the Commission on Youth, Public Safety & Justice to provide recommendations related to youth in New York’s criminal and juvenile justice systems.  The fact that New York is one of only two States in the country that treats 16-year-olds as adults in the criminal justice system is a travesty.  We should not accept such a harmful punishment imposed on young people who are still in the middle stages of their development as adolescents.  The damage done by the adult criminal justice system to these young people – many of whom have already suffered from the combined impacts of poverty, abuse/neglect, homelessness, and inadequate education – can last a lifetime and seriously hinder them from ever becoming successful adults.  We commend the Governor for tasking this new Commission with the responsibility of developing a plan to raise the age of criminal responsibility and creating a roadmap to promote youth success and ensure public safety so that all young people have the opportunity to become productive, successful adults.
 
The Fortune Society is eager to work with Governor Cuomo to ensure that this new Council and Commission work aggressively to ensure that both youth and adults who have been involved in the criminal justice system have access to housing, employment, education, health care, substance abuse and mental health treatment, family reunification assistance, public benefits, and other supportive services they need to thrive and live successful lives in the community.

JoAnne Page
President and CEO