Parole reform bill puts age and number of years served as criteria for eligibility
News 12 Staff
Updated on:Apr 12, 2021, 6:22pm EDT
Reform advocates are calling on state legislators to pass a bill that would make anyone who is over 55 years of age or older and served at least 15 years in prison eligible for parole.
Supporters say it s a matter of racial equality, arguing that the percentage of white prisoners who are granted parole is much higher than Black or brown inmates. This is about racial justice and whether we re a just and moral society, says Sochie Nnaemeka, of NY Working Families Party. We know that Black and brown New Yorkers are significantly less likely than their white counterparts to be released on parole.