Stop BHOD

A few days ago the Department of Corrections (DOC) posted a new PowerPoint presentation on its website outlining the City’s borough jails plan. This is the name that the City has given to its proposal to re-open and expand the outdated and unpopular Brooklyn House of Detention, and construct a new jail in the Bronx. At the core of this new policy is the argument that Rikers Island should not bare the full burden of housing the overwhelming majority of New York City inmates. Yet in its latest presentation, the City once again failed to show how the new borough jails plan would change this.

Looking at a graph of the City’s projected shift in prison population from Rikers to the proposed borough jails, we see that by 2012, Rikers would have the capacity to house 13,878 inmates, with potentially 3,877 in the boroughs. Currently, Rikers has the capacity to house 16,560 inmates. In other words, the bulk of the jail population would remain at Rikers, with borough prisons playing a small role. However, from an economic perspective, the cost of building these new jails would be much higher than maintaining and renovating Rikers Island.

The cost alone of expanding the Brooklyn House of Detention would be roughly $440 million. Comparatively, the cost of renovating the James A. Thomas Center at Rikers (holds 1194 inmates) would be $90 million. Financially, the difference is clear, but the fact is that many facilities at Rikers are in terrible condition. If the majority of inmates will continue to be held there, shouldn’t the DOC make sure that those facilities are in good condition? Moreover, as many programs and services face budget cuts, the City should be looking to implement the most financially efficient policies that save money.

In the face of growing community opposition from Brooklyn and Bronx residents, combined with an expanding coalition of political support at City Hall, the City still seems determined to move forward with this unpopular plan. Council Members have an opportunity to change this by removing the borough jail plan from the City’s budget, and we hope they will take that opportunity so that those funds can be re-allocated to other areas.

See the borough jails presentation from the DOC.

On Monday this week, the Fort Greene Association announced their formal endorsement of the StopBHOD campaign. Chairman Paul Palazzo made the announcement during the monthly meeting of the neighborhood association, and we look forward to future collaboration with the residents of Fort Greene in our fight to keep the City from wasting taxpayer’s money on jails we don’t need.

As we move forward with our campaign in the next few months, we will be lobbying Council Members at City Hall to remove the $1.2 billion slated for new jail construction from the City’s budget. To help us with this process, and to follow New York State laws regarding the lobbying of elected officials, we have hired M&R Strategic Services. Their experience working with non-profit organizations on behalf of the public interest, and their specialization in government affairs will be critical to helping us build support among Council Members to reallocate the $1.2 billion to programs that face budget cuts.

This year has already proven to be very difficult for many New Yorkers who have lost their jobs, and as announced by Mayor Bloomberg two weeks ago, more cuts in city jobs are looming. Therefore, the time for smart and responsible fiscal policy has never been more important, and we want to be sure that Council Members see the opportunity that presents itself in re-thinking $1.2 billion borough jail plan.

One of the best ways to get the attention of elected officials is through their constituencies, and that is why we are happy to have the support of the Fort Greene Association. As we continue to build our coalition through the support of individuals and neighborhood associations, we are confident that elected officials will begin to listen to our campaign which promotes a corrections policy that invests in rehabilitation over incarceration, and a fiscal policy which takes into account the financial climate that New Yorkers face.

Read about us in the Fort Greene Associations Newsletter.

A few months ago, we listened to Mayor Michael Bloomberg gives his doomsday budget address, and the outlook for New Yorkers was not good. The Mayor warned that 14,000 teachers could be laid off, and that police and fire departments could face reductions as well, unless State and Federal money was allocated to the City’s budget. That money has now come through, and City agencies have also responded by cutting their budgets by $3 billion. As an outsider looking in, the parties negotiating with the Mayor have clearly made major concessions and sacrifices to meet the levels of efficiency that his budget requires.

Yet, in another grim announcement for Union leaders and City employees, Bloomberg’s office issued a press release yesterday pushing for the elimination 7,000 City jobs. Targeted in this announcement are the Department of Education, the Uniformed Services (police and firemen), and the Administration for Children’s Services. In short, budget director Mark Page has given these agencies until Monday to cut an additional $350 million from their budgets. This demand from the City is simply unfair and unnecessary, when this is a problem that could be fixed by smart fiscal policy. Just as City agencies have shown their willingness to reduce their budgets, the Mayor must show his willingness to cut wasteful projects from his budget.

Spending $1.2 billion on a new jail in the Bronx, and an expanded Jail in Brooklyn is bad fiscal policy and bad corrections policy. The overwhelming majority of the City’s jail population currently resides at Rikers Island, which has been well below full capacity since 2000. If the City builds new jails, they wont be able to fill them, unless they move a large percentage of the inmates from Rikers to the new jails. However, this project would take years, and be outrageously more expensive than the much needed renovation of the James A. Thomas Center ($90 million) at Rikers Island. By removing this unnecessary project from the budget, we would not have to put the livelihoods of 7,000 people in jeopardy. Moreover, we could invest in the future of New York by strengthening the budgets of important City agencies, instead of cutting them.

On Monday morning, Comptroller William C. Thompson was joined by members of Stop BHOD, the Atlantic Avenue Betterment Association, and Brooklyn Vision at a press conference in front of the Brooklyn House of Detention (BHOD). The occasion was to announce that Thompson was once again rejecting the City’s architectural contract for a proposed expansion of the BHOD.

Over a month ago, the Comptroller rejected the initial architectural contract in response to inflated costs in the contract itself, which totaled $31 million. He also expressed concern over the unexplained spike in the cost estimate of the expansion project, which jumped from $250 million to $400 million. You would think that the City would have taken these objections from the Comptroller into consideration when it re-submitted the latest architectural contract to Thompson’s office. Instead, it submitted a new contract that, among other things, indicated corruption in the selection process of architectural firm Ricci Greene Associates.

As Thompson spoke on Monday, he highlighted the following three issues in the contract:

• When the City changed the cost of the project from $250 million to $400 million, it gave very short notice (eight days) as a way of limiting competition among bidders.
• The firm selected by the City (Ricci Greene Associates) did not have the appropriate experience for the job, while other firms did.
• Finally, Ricci Greene Associates is currently being sued for poorly designing a prison in Orange County.

These findings from Thompson’s office are clearly disturbing, as they raise serious questions regarding the City’s methods in selecting an architect for the expansion project. Furthermore, this comes on the heels of last week’s legal ruling stating that the City cannot spend any money or move forward on expansion plans without following a strict review process. By submitting such a flawed contract, the City has once again shown its total disregard for that process.

On Monday morning, Comptroller William C. Thompson was joined by members of Stop BHOD, the Atlantic Avenue Betterment Association, and Brooklyn Vision at a press conference in front of the Brooklyn House of Detention (BHOD). The occasion was to announce that Thompson was once again rejecting the City’s architectural contract for a proposed expansion of the BHOD.

Over a month ago, the Comptroller rejected the initial architectural contract in response to inflated costs in the contract itself, which totaled $31 million. He also expressed concern over the unexplained spike in the cost estimate of the expansion project, which jumped from $250 million to $400 million. You would think that the City would have taken these objections from the Comptroller into consideration when it re-submitted the latest architectural contract to Thompson’s office. Instead, it submitted a new contract that, among other things, indicated corruption in the selection process of architectural firm Ricci Greene Associates.

• As Thompson spoke on Monday, he highlighted the following three issues in the contract:
• When the City changed the cost of the project from $250 million to $400 million, it gave very short notice (eight days) as a way of limiting competition among bidders.
• The firm selected by the City (Ricci Greene Associates) did not have the appropriate experience for the job, while other firms did.
• Finally, Ricci Greene Associates is currently being sued for poorly designing a prison in Orange County.

These findings from Thompson’s office are clearly disturbing, as they raise serious questions regarding the City’s methods in selecting an architect for the expansion project. Furthermore, this comes on the heels of last week’s legal ruling stating that the City cannot spend any money or move forward on expansion plans without following a strict review process. By submitting such a flawed contract, the City has once again shown its total disregard for that process.

On Friday March 20th, a press conference and rally was held in front of City Hall by Stop BHOD and a number of organizations from the Bronx including Communities in Unity (CIU) and Rights for Imprisoned People with Psychiatric Disabilities (RIPPD). The Rally was organized to protest spending $1.2 billion on new jail construction in the Bronx and Brooklyn, and coincided with the Department of Corrections (DOC) buget hearings. Below is a link to a video of Comptroller William C. Thompson and Stop BHOD supporter Evan Thies speaking out against the City’s plans at Friday’s rally.

Stop BHOD and Bronx at City Hall Rally

The City’s plans to expand the Brooklyn House of Detention (BHOD) were struck yet another devastating blow this week when Supreme Court Judge Hindz-Radix issued a preliminary injunction on expansion plans for the jail. This means that the City must undergo required environmental and land review processes, and a fair share analysis, before any expansion plans continue. Previous refusals by the City and the Department of Corrections to comply with these reviews underscore the importance of the ruling, which sends a clear message to the City that they can no longer ignore the public or the law in their attempts to expand the BHOD.

The ruling also prevents any further spending on the expansion project. This includes a proposed $32 million architectural design contract which can now be spent in a much more productive manner. Also, by issuing that the City follow the guidelines of expedited discovery, Judge Hindz-Radix added a new level of transparency to the debate by forcing the City to hand over all documents related to the expansion plans for the BHOD.

Unfortunately, this weeks ruling did not prevent the City from re-opening the BHOD at its currently capacity. However, any plans from the City to re-populate the BHOD at full capacity will inevitably be met with strong community resistance, as it is well known that the jail is in need of renovation and that the cells do not meet the required standard size to hold inmates.

The ruling against expansion plans for BHOD sent a strong message to the City that community opposition groups must now be heard. If the City complies with this ruling they will likely discover that there is little to no support for re-opening the BHOD, in a neighborhood which has gone through significant economic and environmental changes since the site was closed in 2003.

The BHOD closed in 2003 because it was underused and seen as financially inefficient by the Department of Corrections. Since then the jail has continued to function in as a quasi-functional facility that drains money from taxpayers but does not adequately serve the surrounding community. Hopefully, the City will not allow this status quo to continue and instead will now invest in the serious task of rehabilitating Rikers Island.

On March 20^th, the Department of Corrections will hold a budget hearing which will cover their plans to spend $1.2 billion on building new jails in the Bronx and Brooklyn. In response, Stop BHOD and Communities in Unity will join forces with community groups and elected officials in front of City Hall to send a unified message to the City that New Yorkers will not support wasteful spending on unnecessary jails at a moment of serious financial crisis. We hope you will join us Friday, March 20th at 11:30 AM for this important rally to stop the City from wasting $1.2B of our taxpayer money on jails we don’t need.

We are expecting a good turnout on Friday, but we would like to encourage anyone who missed our rally in January to come out and support our campaign. Friday’s event will also be a good opportunity for anyone who is interested in learning more about this issue to come and hear from a host of speakers who support smart fiscal and corrections policy. We expect to hear from Council Members David Yassky and Letitia James, and are also hopeful that Comptroller Thompson will speak as well. We are also very excited to have speakers from our Bronx partner Communities in Unity, who we have partnered with in solidarity against the City’s plans for a new Bronx jail in Hunts Point.

Over the next few months, the mayor and City Council will decide how to spend the $1.2 billion slated for new jails. Will it go to unnecessary jails? Or will it go to schools, housing and firehouses? You can help decide–but time is running out.

Come out on Friday March 20^th and join us in telling the City that more jails are not the answer.

Fight for Rehabilitation, not incarceration!

An estimated 50,000 New Yorkers descended on City Hall yesterday to protest Governor Paterson’s controversial budget proposals, which look to close the State’s $15 billion deficit gap by cutting funding for a number of crucial programs and services. Under Paterson’s plan, spending on education would be cut by $2.5 billion, and health care would lose $3.2 billion. Other budget cuts are also slated for seniors’ programs, disability services, housing assistance programs and crisis intervention programs. Of the thousands of protestors who packed the streets around City Hall yesterday, many were union members from the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) and healthcare workers from local 1199. Many in the crowd held signs asking for a fair budget process and cheered to the rally cries of “No more cuts!” and “Fair share!”.

Advocates of a “fair share” process are asking the Governor to take an alternative approach to filling the $15 billion budget gap. Instead of crippling budget cuts, they are asking for tax law reform that would raise taxes on wealthy individuals who earn over $250,000 a year. This would create extra revenue for the state, save programs from being cut, and bring much needed reform to the current tax law. Negotiations over the budget are set to begin in Albany next week, and State Senator Eric Schneiderman was quoted at yesterday’s rally as saying, “I think people understand that everyone has to kick in. The rich have to kick in also. And I expect this to be front and center when we start negotiations next week.”

Many elected officials and Union heads were present at yesterday’s rally, gathering in front of a podium to deliver defiant messages against the Governor’s budget. Among them were some of our supporters, including Comptroller William C. Thompson and Council members David Yassky and Leticia James. All have been strong advocates in our campaign to stop the City from spending $1.2 billion on unnecessary new jail construction, and yesterday’s rally was a dramatic reminder of why New Yorkers cannot afford such a project at a time when schools, hospitals and other crucial social services face financial peril.

On Monday February 23, Stop BHOD teamed up with members from Communities in Unity (CIU) from the Bronx and hand deliver a letter to Councilmember Miguel Martinez, asking for a public hearing on the controversial plan to build new jails in Brooklyn and the Bronx. This was the first collaborative action between Stop BHOD and CIU, and we are confident that there will be more to come.

The setting for Monday’s action was a hearing at City Hall held by the Fire & Criminal Justice Services Committee on the recent outbreak of violence at Rikers Island which caused the death of 18 year-old Christopher Robinson (for more on this see http://www.villagevoice.com/2009-02-04/news/rikers-fight-club/). Stop BHOD and CIU were there for two reasons. One was to hear testimony by Department of Corrections Commissioner Martin Horn regarding the out of control situation at Rikers, and we were delighted to see Councilmember Leticia James challenge the Commissioner over his plans for the BHOD site. Another reason was to seize the opportunity to hand a co-written letter to councilmember Miguel Martinez asking for a public hearing regarding plans for the Bronx and Brooklyn jails. We were able to achieve this, and Councilmember Martinez responded positively, saying that he would do what he could to organize a hearing.