Rally & Press Conference to Support Formerly Incarcerated Elders

On Wednesday, September 20th, formerly incarcerated leaders, advocates, and concerned New Yorkers will gather for a 9am press conference followed by a 10am City Council Hearing in support of The CARE - Compassion for Reentering Elders - Act (Intro 1616; 2017), which establishes an interagency task force to examine the needs of older adults returning from incarceration.

With an unprecented number of currently incarcerated older people in New York State prisons (more than 10,000 people aged 50 and older), strong community pressure from the Release Aging People in Prison (RAPP) Campaign and others is resulting in an increase in the number of elders released from prison in New York. However, both the City and State do little support older people once they are released.

Older people returning home face particular barriers in seeking employment, community resources, health care, reconnecting with family, and especially housing. In 2016, 58 percent of older people (1,699 people) were homeless upon release and nearly 1,200 went directly to a homeless shelter. Such unstable housing placements offer little to no age-appropriate, safe, and secure support and care for recently released older people with unique difficulties and needs. Therefore, for many elders leaving prison, the human right to sufficient, sustainable and appropriate housing and community resources remain unment.

Please join RAPP, criminal legal reform advocates, concerned community members and local elected officials to ensure that New York City do all that it can to support its reentering elders.