FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Trip Eggert | teggert@vera.org

Following today’s vote by the New York City Council on Intro. 549 (which would ban the use of solitary confinement), Intro. 632 (Fair Chance For Housing), Intro. 538 and Intro. 586 (How Many Stops Act), Jullian Harris-Calvin, director of the Vera Institute of Justice’s Greater Justice New York program, said:

“These bills are critical steps forward toward a fairer and more just New York City. We thank the City Council for supporting a ban on the use of solitary confinement as well as the Fair Chance for Housing and How Many Stops bills, which will reduce the harm of pretrial detention, make it easier for justice-involved New Yorkers to find housing upon release, and bring needed transparency to police stops. We urge the mayor to sign these bills into law without delay.

“Perhaps the most visible manifestation of our criminal legal system, police officers impact the lives of hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers every year. Yet we know little about how often they interact with the public, how these stops arise, what their outcomes are, and which communities are most affected. Vera’s Police Data Transparency Index assesses the state of police data transparency in 94 cities across the United States. New York City earned a score of 64 out of 100, indicating significant room for improvement. Intros. 538 and 586, the How Many Stops Act, will create a needed reporting standard and require the NYPD to fill gaps in New York City’s existing database of stops, improving police transparency and allowing better insight into police activities for police managers and the public at large.

“Intro. 549 will reduce the harm New Yorkers face on Rikers by preventing the serious and lasting psychological damage of solitary confinement. Solitary confinement does not produce safety; not for people in detention, not for correction officers, and not for the general public. Ending the practice is in the interest of the well-being and humane treatment of all people, whether in our jails or our wider communities.

“Once people are released from our jails, they face significant barriers to finding housing: 11 percent of single adults entering New York City shelters cite release from jail or prison as the reason for their homelessness and more than 40 percent of those returning from state prisons were released directly to shelters between 2015 and 2021. When people with criminal legal system involvement are unable to access housing, they do not simply disappear. Instead, they live on the street or in homeless shelters, and that instability makes future arrest more likely. Conversely, giving people access to stable and affordable housing sees substantial benefits to physical and mental health, well-being, mortality rates, criminal legal system interaction, service use, and cost—the Fair Chance for Housing legislation is a critical step toward this stability.

“These bills represent critical improvements throughout our criminal legal system—from a person’s initial police interaction through their incarceration and community reentry—that will help make all New Yorkers safer. We again thank the Council for passing this legislation and urge the mayor to sign these bills into law."

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About the Vera Institute of Justice: The Vera Institute of Justice is powered by hundreds of advocates, researchers, and policy experts working to transform the criminal legal and immigration systems until they’re fair for all. Founded in 1961 to advocate for alternatives to money bail in New York City, Vera is now a national organization that partners with impacted communities and government leaders for change. We develop just, antiracist solutions so that money doesn’t determine freedom; fewer people are in jails, prisons, and immigration detention; and everyone is treated with dignity. Vera’s headquarters is in Brooklyn, New York, with offices in Washington, DC, New Orleans, and Los Angeles. For more information, visit vera.org.