BILL NUMBER: S5061
SPONSOR: CLEARE
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the correction law, in relation to establishing a rein-
tegration pilot program for individuals being released from correctional
facilities
 
PURPOSE:
To establish a reintegration pilot program for individuals being
released from correctional facilities.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section one of the bill adds a new section 71-b to establish the reinte-
gration pilot program.
Section two establishes the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Nationally, formerly incarcerated people are ten times more likely to be
homeless than the general public. (1) According, to 2014 numbers, 9,300
formerly incarcerated individuals were released from state prison to New
York City, few of whom were referred to, or directly connected to,
supportive services as part of their release plan. In fact, 23% of the
time, they went straight to homeless shelters that have well-documented
poor conditions, including crime and drug use. (2) This problem has
only been exacerbated over the last few years. In 2017, approximately
25,000 were released from New York State prisons; upon release, 54% of
these individuals were heading straight to shelters. (3) This has been
dubbed the "prison-to-shelter pipeline."
Reentry planning and access to comprehensive support are essential for
ensuring successful reintegration into the community after incarcera-
tion. The Reintegration Pilot Program establishes a proactive, struc-
tured approach to reentry by providing incarcerated individuals with
tailored support and services up to a year before their release and
continuing for up to a year post-release. By addressing critical needs
such as mental health care, substance use treatment, stable housing, job
training, and employment opportunities, this program lays a solid foun-
dation for successful community reintegration. The total estimated
fiscal cost would be approximately $6.2 million, which is far lower than
the average cost of holding an individual in local jail or state prison,
which can range from $82,000 per year per person to a high of $560,000
in New York City, as well as associated costs around potential emergency
room visits, homelessness, and other social determinants of health. The
current prison-to-shelter pipeline creates a system that is unsafe,
costly, and detrimental to good public policy. This legislation is crit-
ical in providing a roadmap, as well as the necessary tools to fix a
fundamentally broken system, and the vicious prison-shelter-prison cycle
which is detrimental to all New Yorkers.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New Bill
 
FISCAL:
$6.2 million
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the January next succeeding the date upon
which it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition,
amendment and for repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the
implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be
made and completed on or before such effective date.