Facts

More people than ever must contend with the fallout of having a conviction record.

In September 2018, the incarceration rate of the United States of America was the highest in the world, at 655 per 100,000 of the national population. While the United States represents about 4.3 percent of the world's population, it houses around 19.7 percent of the world's incarcerated people.[1] In New York State, 6,958,700 people have an arrest or conviction record -- that’s 45% of the adult population.

Mass incarceration is related directly to economic inequality and homelessness.

Research shows that incarcerated people in all gender, race, and ethnicity groups earned substantially less prior to their incarceration than their non-incarcerated counterparts of similar ages.[2] Shelter and unregulated "three-quarters" housing are costly[3] and inadequate – they are not a sufficient solution to homelessness, and they perpetuate generational poverty.[4]

New Yorkers believe that once someone has served their time, we should stop punishing them.

We have made substantial progress in reducing the perpetual punishment of people with conviction records in higher education through Ban the Box—both the State University of New York (SUNY) and the City University of New York (CUNY) do not ask applicants about their conviction record.[5] We’ve also made progress in reducing discrimination in employment through the Fair Chance Act, which makes it illegal for most employers to ask about the conviction record of job applicants before making a job offer.[6] Yet in most housing, perpetual punishment remains rampant. This perpetual punishment not only impacts individuals, but also their family for generations. Conviction record history should be a history and not a life sentence.[7]

[1] Walmsley, R. (2018). World Prison Population List (twelfth edition). International Centre for Criminal Policy Research. Retrieved from http://www.prisonstudies.org/sites/default/files/resources/downloads/wppl_12.pdf

[2] Kopf, D. & Rabuy, B. (July 9, 2015). Prisons of Poverty: Uncovering the pre-incarceration incomes of the imprisoned. Prison Policy Initiative. Retrieved from https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/income.html

[3] Multiple studies have documented the cost savings of supportive housing, including: Rethink Homelessness. (2014). The cost of long-term homelessness in Central Florida. Retrieved from https://shnny.org/research/the-cost-of-long-term-homelessnessin-central-florida/ Thomas, M.L., Shears, J.K., Pate, M.C. & Preister, M.A. (2014, February 14). Moore place permanent supportive housing evaluation study year 1 report. Retrieved from https://shnny.org/images/uploads/Charlotte-Moore-Place-Study.pdf. HUD has also documented the high cost of emergency shelter when compared to costs of other types of housing: Spellman, B., J. Khadduri, B. Sokol, & J. Leopold (2010, March). Costs associated with first-time homelessness for families and individuals. Office of Policy Development and Research, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Retrieved from https://www.huduser.gov/publications/pdf/Costs_Homeless.pdf

[4] Prisoner Reentry Institute. (2013, October). Three Quarter Houses: The View from the Inside. Reentry Research in the First Person. Retrieved from http://johnjaypri.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/PRI-TQH-Report.pdf

[5] Weichselbaum, S. (2016). The Obstacle Course. The Marshall Project. Retrieved from https://www.themarshallproject.org/2015/03/02/the-obstacle-course

[6] Fair Chance Act. (n.d.). NYC Human Rights, City of New York. Retrieved from https://www1.nyc.gov/site/cchr/media/fair-chance-act-campaign.page

[7] Eggleston, A. (n.d.). Perpetual Punishment: The Consequences of Adult Convictions for Youth. Policy Brief Adultification Series, 4. Retrieved from http://cfyj.org/images/policybriefs/inaugural/PerpetualPunishment.pdf