They pressure for pardons for thousands of New York inmates, but… not only as a

Clemency! Clemency! A group of protesters shouted this Monday in front of the Manhattan office of Governor Kathy Hochul, a request that is always raised on these dates prior to the Christmas and New Year festivities, where the tradition It is pardoning people who pay prison time and have demonstrated good behavior and positive changes in their lives.

But this time, the coalition ‘Leniency for New Yorkers’ He made broader requests to the state president: They hope that it is not just a “Christmas gift” and they push the project of turning it into a more permanent program, which returns inmates who have a lot to give to their community to their homes.

In this group of protesters is the Puerto Rican activist Janet Colón, community leader of the Campaign to Liberate Seniors (RAPP), who recognizes that the Hochul Administration has “made a lot of progress” in reviewing the procedures for how these freedom benefits are applied. Although he insists that there is still much to do. And more particularly in the segment of incarcerated women, who face life sentences, without the option of parole, survivors of domestic violence and immigrants facing deportation.

“As activists we are making a very painful reflection today. And it refers to the number of women, mothers, aunts and grandmothers who are behind bars., for having defended themselves from atrocious situations of domestic violence and unfortunately ended up committing a crime. There are many examples of women who ended up in prison to protect themselves from a violent attack and “They are wonderful people who deserve to be reunited with their families,” Columbus reasoned.

Women in the abyss

It is estimated that at least 100 women are in prisons of New York for crimes related to domestic violence. That is, in many cases they ended up perpetrating a murder or serious assault when defending themselves from the brutal violence of their partners. The large proportion of them are African American and Latino. Many of them are undocumented immigrants, which also puts them in the abyss of eventual deportation.

At this moment, there are almost 9,000 people under life sentences in New York state prisons. Many more are serving sentences so long that they will surely die in prison before being eligible for parole.

As the ‘Leniency for New Yorkers’ coalition puts into perspective in an extensive report: Many people went to prison when they were teenagers, some as young as 16 years old. Hundreds have already served decades of their sentences. And they have many more years left before their release, if they survive that long.

“Many people, if they do not receive this clemency benefit, They will die unjustly in prison when they have a lot to contribute to their communities and their families.. During this time locked up, they have accumulated incredible achievements and transformed their value system. “They are wonderful people,” Columbus claims that She also advocates for her husband’s clemency benefit.

1,200 requests

The New York State Constitution specifically grants the Governor the absolute power to release anyone, at any time, for any reason.

This power is called clemency or as it is more technically called a commutation of sentence. This benefit is designed for people who have transformed during the course of their incarceration and can reenter society safely.

It is estimated that several hundred New Yorkers apply for clemency each year, and most of them want their sentences commuted. There are currently an average of 1,200 pardon requests awaiting the governor’s review.

“We believe that these freedom measures should not exclude anyone due to the nature of their crime, sentence or time served. We believe that everyone deserves redemption and a second chance, and We ask Governor Hochul to promote a principle of inclusion in her clemency practice”, activists highlighted in a statement.

Over the last year and a half, some reforms in this direction have advanced at a pace that community advocates question, because many incarcerated New Yorkers are “dying.”

In fact, last April, Hochul granted the pardon to seven New Yorkers, marking the first time that he has kept his promise to grant this measure on a continuous basis.

“We are improving”

Spokespersons for the state president explained to The newspaper that although they cannot comment on the pending pardon requests, because it is a confidential process, the state Administration is committed in improving justice, equity and safety in the criminal justice system.

“We are reviewing the requests in that context,” they said.

Since the beginning of Hochul’s administration, activists acknowledge, a series of measures have been taken to improve the Transparency and communication in the clemency process.

Likewise, the Executive Clemency Office has implemented a new policy of sending periodic letters people to follow up on this process, informing them about the status of their case and providing them with information on how submit additional information in support of their requests.

The Governor’s Office said it has launched an updated online web center to assist clemency applicants with the application process, which includes new application forms for both pardons and commutations.

The data:

• 376 per 100,000 New York residents are incarcerated (including prisons, jails, immigration detention centers and juvenile justice centers), which means the highest percentage of incarcerated people of any major city in the world.

​