New York State prisons and New York City jails hold fewer people than they did a decade ago. But even as inmates serve shorter sentences, they still face steep obstacles returning to civilian life. Mental healthcare is interrupted. Homelessness is common. Prison education programs are spotty, so work is hard to find. If the city and state are serious about reducing recidivism, the problems laid bare in these articles are places to start.
A lack of supportive housing and the tendency of many landlords to refused city housing vouchers mean that many formerly incarcerated people end up in shelters or on the street.
Lackluster vocational training, constraints on federal funding and a mix of promising but small-scale programs make it hard for inmates to get the skills that will lead to work and stability on the outside.
It’s not just that the state holds some offenders beyond their release date because of a lack of housing that meets legal requirements. It’s the murky geography and political dynamics that make finding a bed so difficult.
Thirteen years after settling a case over mental-health discharge planning for people leaving Rikers, New York is getting closer to the goals it agreed to. But looming changes in federal policy could create new obstacles.
Reversing a long-standing policy that had been criticized for splitting up or uprooting families, the public housing authority is permitting some people to return to NYCHA housing after their sentences. So far, results have been very positive.