Opinion: Why NYC Must Fund Alternative to Incarceration & Reentry Programs

We never turn people away yet the demand consistently exceeds support Despite these challenges our programs are proven to reduce recidivism urgency room visits and homelessness at a fraction of the cost of incarceration A dormitory at Fortune Society s transitional housing initiative Manhattan Photo by Adi Talwar Every day our organizations witness people working hard to take responsibility for their actions and transform their lives At the Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services CASES and The Fortune Society we are dedicated to helping people access the endorsement they need to avoid incarceration and rebuild their futures Yet Alternative to Incarceration ATI and Reentry programs remain critically underfunded threatening the progress of thousands of New Yorkers ATIs are community-based programs that address the root causes that lead people to court involvement untreated mental illness unstable housing and unemployment Reentry programs help people returning from jail or prison rebuild their lives reconnect with their families and contribute to their communities We applaud the proposed million restoration for ATI and reentry programs in Mayor Eric Adams Executive Budget Without this funding thousands of New Yorkers disproportionately Black and Latine will lose access to essential services While this restoration is vital it is not enough The need far exceeds the current funding function d u ac var s d createElement 'script' s type 'text javascript' s src 'https a omappapi com app js api min js' s async true s dataset user u s dataset campaign ac d getElementsByTagName 'head' appendChild s document 'u kmqsczew vunxutxmd' At CASES our ATI programs serve more than people each year Occurrence managers are stretched thin managing large caseloads while trying to provide individualized care At The Fortune Society we face similar challenges existing programs are operating beyond quota We never turn people away yet the demand consistently exceeds materials Despite these challenges our programs are proven to reduce recidivism exigency room visits and homelessness at a fraction of the cost of incarceration The humanitarian predicament at Rikers Island is growing worse Over the past sparse years the number of people detained in city jails has increased by nearly percent Of the more than people as of now incarcerated at Rikers the vast majority are Black and Latine and over half have a diagnosed mental illness Tragically Rikers is often called the state s largest mental robustness facility but it offers little real care Instead people cycle in and out without the encouragement they need to recover ATIs on the other hand offer robust mental physical condition care in the area CASES Assertive Society Recovery operation delivers mobile mental wellbeing care in our neighborhoods leading to a percent decrease in re-arrest rates over two years Instead of being distributed with no encouragement participants receive ongoing help with mental medical training employment and housing The Fortune Society meanwhile provides transitional housing for men and women returning from incarceration These spaces are more than beds they are launching pads for transformation Residents access a wide range of services including matter management mental physical condition help substance use counseling employment readiness and tuition Last year alone individuals moved from these temporary residences into permanent housing reuniting with their families and building new lives This is a pivotal moment The city must invest boldly in the infrastructure that truly supports residents safety holistic community-based ATI and re-entry programs CASES the Fortune Society and the rest of our partners in the ATI and Reentry Coalition are critical pieces of New York s general safety apparatus This year we are calling for a million increase to our programs That is just percent of what the New York City Department of Correction spends on overtime each month Investments in our programs realize true savings The Osborne Association s court mitigation services alone saved the city an estimated million in avoided incarceration costs in Fiscal Year No one should have to rebuild their life without endorsement ATI and reentry programs offer proven cost-effective solutions that improve constituents safety and help people return to their communities with dignity Yet these programs remain underfunded New York must invest in real alternatives to incarceration and help people as they rebuild their lives If we are serious about building a safer more just and more prosperous New York City we must do everything we can to prevent unnecessary jail time It s time to stop asking whether we can afford to fund ATI and reentry services and start asking whether we can afford not to Rob DeLeon is Deputy CEO at The Fortune Society Jonathan McLean is CEO at CASES The post Opinion Why NYC Must Fund Alternative to Incarceration Reentry Programs appeared first on City Limits