[Pnews] Please oppose cutbacks in visiting hours at New York State Max Prisons!

[Prisoner News]

Governor Cuomo is proposing to cut back visiting in New York's maximum
security prisons to three days a week, from seven currently.

PLEASE email or write to Governor Cuomo opposing the cutback in
visiting hours at NYS max prisons.

https://www.governor.ny.gov/content/governor-contact-form

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
New York State Capitol
Albany, NY 12224

The Governor talks a good line about compassion and reducing mass
incarceration, but this proposal will seriously escalate suffering and
family disruption. Under the current 7-day system, weekend visitors
(many are women with young children) often wait 2-3 hours to see their
loved ones. With reduced days, the wait will be longer, the visitor
rooms more crowded, the visiting days and hours even more
limited. This will be awful for everyone and impossible for many.

More information about this initiative is attached, along with what
you can do to help stop it. But if you can only do one thing, PLEASE
EMAIL OR WRITE THE GOVERNOR TODAY!

____________________________________
*NEW YORK DOCCS INTENDS TO REDUCE VISITING AT STATE MAXIMUM SECURITY 
PRISONS *The importance of contact visits for people in New York’s maximum security prisons cannot be underestimated. New York has, until now, understood and respected the need for incarcerated individuals to be able to spend time in-person with their loved ones. Actual visits when people may see and touch and spend time together are vital for maintaining human relationships and maintaining the spirit of individuals serving time in prison. This ability to connect and be together is essential and improves conduct inside the prisons, thereby increasing safety for everyone.

The proposed cut in visits at maximum security prisons across our state is devastating. The proposal would limit visit to weekends only. Weekend visiting is already overcrowded in many facilities, and is made tolerable because families who are able to avoid weekend visiting do so by visiting during the week. Making this change, making it more difficult to visit on the weekends, will result in reduced visiting and the failure to realize the human benefit of maintaining close contact with our friends and family who are inside.

Video-visiting is not a replacement for critical contact visits. Video-visiting is of value in that it permits more frequent contact for those who can afford the service and are in a location where it is available. But, even for those individuals, video-visiting is not the same vital human contact that occurs during in-person visits between human beings.

Please maintain or expand the access to in-person contact visits in our prisons. At the same time please consider expansion of other family reunion and family programs. Any step in the opposite direction is inappropriate and ill-advised. These programs are well known to assist with reentry and to reduce recidivism. Do not move away from humane and good corrections practice. The presence of friends, children and families humanizes our state prisons and provides love, hope and connections vital to all.

Send emails opposing the cut in visiting to these involved individuals:

Governor Cuomo – can be contacted via an email contact here:
https://www.governor.ny.gov/content/governor-contact-form

Marta Nelson, marta.nelson at exec.ny.gov - Executive Director of the Governor’s Council on Community Re-Entry and Reintegration

Acting DOCCS Commissioner Annucci, Tony.annucci at doccs.ny.gov

Senator Gallivan, gallivan at nysenate.gov - Senate Chair of Corrections Committee Assembly member Weprin, WeprinD at nyassembly.gov

Assembly Chair of Corrections Committee Senator Avella, Avella at nysenate.gov

Senate Chair of Children & Families Committee Assemblymember Jaffee, JaffeeE at nyassembly.gov

Mail:
The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo
Governor of New York State
NYS State Capitol Building
Albany, NY 12224

Acting Commissioner Anthony Annucci
Department of Corrections and Community Supervision
Harriman State Campus, Building 2
1220 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12226

-- 
Freedom Archives 522 Valencia Street San Francisco, CA 94110 415 
863.9977 www.freedomarchives.org
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://freedomarchives.org/pipermail/ppnews_freedomarchives.org/attachments/20170202/49219567/attachment.htm>