Freedom for New York

88,000 people in New York are locked up, a majority in state prisons, and an additional 146,000 are on parole or probation. These numbers are heavily skewed toward New Yorkers of color, black people most of all: while 219 out of every 100,000 white New Yorkers are incarcerated, 1,655 of every 10,000 black New Yorkers are.

Mass incarceration has terrible public health consequences and negatively contributes to the social determinants of poor health.  Rather than rehabilitating people or providing effective addiction treatment, prison traumatizes inmates. People go back into society to face mental health challenges and the negative health effects that come with having little access to jobs, housing, and other vital resources.

The Committee for Social Justice and Civil Rights is working to give members a way to collectively address this problem. SJCR members are committed to working with community organizations to ensure the passage of the Right To Know Act in NYC.