The impact of a person’s incarceration reaches far beyond the confines of their cell. Children lose parents. Families lose a breadwinner and struggle to meet their needs. Businesses lose workers. Humane treatment that respects the rights and dignity of incarcerated people and prepares them to re-enter society, benefits both incarcerated people and their communities.
On this episode, we speak to a New Yorker with personal experience visiting a family member who was incarcerated. He explains why in-person visits are so important and why a bill recently passed by the state legislature would help families like his. And we also talk to an NYCLU expert about this legislation and several other bills designed to improve conditions for incarcerated New Yorkers and their loved ones.
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In this episode, you'll hear:
00:00 Intro
02:03 The Protect In-Person Visits Bill
05:58 Elijah's story: visiting his stepfather in prison
12:31 The Tampons Aren't Contraband Act
17:46 The Visiting Rights Bill
20:02 Commissary prices
24:19 The anti-shackling bill
26:34 How to support these bills
30:04 Wrap-up
Resources:
Tell Hochul to sign the bills we discuss on this episode: https://action.aclu.org/send-message/protect-rights-incarcerated-and-detained-new-yorkers
Take action to protect in-person visits and find resources for children of incarcerated parents: https://www.susu-osborne.org/protect-visiting
Osborne Association serves individuals, families, and communities impacted by the criminal legal system: https://www.osborneny.org
Learn more about the prison conditions legislation we mention: https://www.nyclu.org/commentary/why-these-bills-to-improve-prison-conditions-should-matter-to-all-of-us
For more on everything we discuss in this episode, visit www.nyclu.org/
For transcripts and additional information on the episodes, visit www.nyclu.org/podcasts
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