CONTACT: Mariah McGough, mariah@vocal-ny.org 

VOCAL-NY APPLAUDS FAIR & TIMELY PAROLE BILL PASSING SENATE CORRECTIONS COMMITTEE

NEW YORK — Today, Fair and Timely Parole (S307/A162) passed through the Senate Corrections Committee showing momentum for the legislation. In response, VOCAL-NY released the following statement, attributable to Ron Dennis, a VOCAL-NY leader who was formerly incarcerated:

“Fair and Timely Parole is a good bill because it would take away the ability from the parole board from hitting you just because of the nature of your crime. It would give folks an opportunity to do their time, improve themselves, then get out of prison. 

When you’re inside, you really don’t have anything to hope for. Knowing that you go to the parole board and that they keep denying you every 2 years regardless of how you’ve been doing inside and improving. This bill ensures that they need to consider how you’ve improved while inside.

My friend in prison committed suicide because the parole board kept denying him parole because the nature of his crime. That ain’t right. People should be able to grow and become better people. This bill would give somebody the incentive to work on themselves; to become a better citizen and a better person.” 

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