Nov 18, 2024 Story by: Editor
A new study reveals that Black and Hispanic individuals incarcerated in New York state prisons are significantly less likely to be granted parole compared to white inmates—a disparity that has worsened since it was first highlighted in 2016.
From January to June 2024, New York’s Parole Board released 34.79% of people of color compared to 48.71% of white individuals, according to a report by the New York University School of Law’s Center for Race, Inequality & the Law, published online Monday.
Since Governor Kathy Hochul assumed office in 2021, 1,338 fewer Black and Hispanic inmates would be incarcerated today if parole rates for these groups matched those of white individuals, the study estimates.
“The sad reality, as this report shows, is that New York’s Parole Board is going backwards,” said Jason Williamson, executive director of NYU Law’s Center and co-author of the report.
The racial disparity in parole decisions gained public attention in 2016 when The New York Times reported that fewer than one in six Black or Hispanic men were released at their first parole hearing, compared to one in four white men. In response, then-Governor Andrew Cuomo pledged to diversify the Parole Board, which at the time had only one Black member and no Latinos among its 13 members.
Today, the 16-member board includes six Black members, three Hispanics, one Asian, one Egyptian, and five whites. However, despite its increased diversity, racial inequities in parole approvals have deepened.
Between 2016 and 2021, 33.45% of people of color appearing before the board were granted parole, compared to 40.39% of white individuals. From 2022 to 2024, the board was 32.28% less likely to release people of color than white individuals, representing a 71.65% increase in racial disparity over the previous six years, the report found.
When asked about the findings, state prison system spokesperson Thomas Mailey emphasized that parole commissioners are appointed by the governor and operate under established standards. He highlighted that the current board is the most diverse in its history but declined to comment on the specific findings of racial bias outlined in the report.
‘I Changed But the Crime Can Never Change’
The report analyzed outcomes from initial and subsequent parole hearings, which typically occur every two years after inmates complete their minimum sentences.
Deb, a Black parolee who served over 26 years for a kidnapping and manslaughter conviction involving an abusive spouse, believes racial bias delayed her release.
“The commissioner reviewing my case was white,” Deb said, requesting her last name be withheld. “I’m Black. I’ve seen the data in this report and I have lived experience, and I have no doubt racial bias played a role in my denials.”
Denied parole three times, Deb was finally released in May under the Domestic Violence Survivors Act, which allows for resentencing in cases involving abuse victims.
“I made a bad choice that landed me in prison, but I wasn’t a bad person,” Deb explained. “I did everything I could in prison to heal, to mature, and get my life on track.”
During her time in prison, Deb earned a master’s degree and had her release supported by a prison superintendent each time she appeared for parole.
Parole commissioners are tasked with using an assessment tool known as Correctional Offender Management Profiling for Alternative Sanctions (COMPAS). This system evaluates nearly two dozen factors, including “criminal personality,” “social isolation,” “substance abuse,” and “residence/stability,” to guide decisions.
Despite such frameworks, the study’s findings underscore persistent disparities that critics say highlight the need for systemic reform in New York’s parole process. Source: The City
