Hochul Signs 'Less is More' Parole Bill, Takes Action on Rikers

Legislation that will raise the standard for when formerly incarcerated people can be sent back to prison over parole violations was signed into law Friday by Gov. Kathy Hochul.

The so-called “Less is More” bill, which takes effect next March, will prevent parolees from being reincarcerated over technical parole violations, like missing an appointment, or drinking alcohol.

“New York State incarcerates more people for parole violations than anywhere in the country. That is a point of shame for us," Hochul said.

“What we’re going to allow for is an earned time credit for people who did not violate the conditions of their parole, shifting from a punitive model that locked up people, to an incentive-based model to help New Yorkers who re-enter their communities.”

Hochul also directed the state’s Parole Board to immediately release 191 people from Rikers Island, New York City’s main jail complex.

Several of the state’s top lawmakers attended the public bill signing Friday, including Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, a Democrat from Westchester County. She said the bill gained momentum this year because of a shift in the state Legislature.

“As you all know, the Senate used to be the place where progressive ideas, and good ideas went to die. But since we took the majority in 2019, we have been the place where progress continues to happen,” Cousins said.

“We understand that there are a lot of injustices that we can, and must work on.”

Assemblymember Phara Souffrant Forrest, a Democrat from Brooklyn who sponsored the bill, said it’s intended to help correct racial disparities in the criminal justice system.

”Today’s parole system, and its pattern of re-committing so many people, particularly black and brown men, shows the insidious hold that capitalism and racism has on our criminal justice system. This creates a perverse incentive to punish, rather than support,” Forrest said.

Current Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin, a Democrat from Harlem who sponsored the bill in the State Senate before he was chosen for his current job, said he believed that the current system defaults to over-punishment.

The new law, he said, should help move things in the other direction.

“I believe we incarcerate way beyond the need for public safety, and a lot of it is fear-driven, and based in old models and tactics,” Benjamin said.

New York GOP Chairman Nick Langworthy released a response to the bill signing this afternoon. He says the governor is making New Yorkers less safe.

“Desperate to cling on to her newfound power and avoid a Democrat primary, Kathy Hochul has thrown all in with the radical left,” Langworthy said. 

Hochul also took additional action Friday related to Rikers Island, which has been a target of criticism from several members of the state Legislature who visited the jail complex this week.

After their visit, those lawmakers reported that the facility didn’t have enough staff to meet the needs of incarcerated people, lacked enough food and medical care, and more. Some said they witnessed a man attempt to take his own life.

Hochul, in response, said 200 people incarcerated at Rikers will be moved to different facilities in the coming days. But the state is also limited in what it can do to address Rikers, she said, because it’s technically a city-run complex.

“As of today, I’m directing a brand-new process,” Hochul said. “We’re working closely, the state department of corrections, the city department of corrections, in constant communication on how we can team up together and make some affirmative steps to resolve this.”

The New York City Council voted in 2019 to close Rikers by 2026, but recent conditions have led to calls for the jail to be closed immediately.

When asked today, Hochul said the administration will consider additional releases and relocations in the future, but Rikers is the priority for the time being.