Crime Committee Report e.indd - New York State Senate

ers and staff have met with scores of political leaders, correction officers and citizens reviewing
economic facts and figures making the case for a re-examination of the Governor’s proposal to
shut down the Ogdensburg correctional facility located in the northwest corner of the Town of
Lisbon near the St. Lawrence River. During the past two decades and into the present, companies
like Diamond National Shade Roller, Brecker Moore and dozens of other businesses have
closed shop in St. Lawrence County. The County has the second lowest per capita income in the
whole 62 counties of the State of New York.
Led by Senator John Sampson, Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson and Senator Darrel Aubertine,
intense negotiations ensued with the Governor and Assembly. At the end of the day, one
year Notices of Closings for Moriah and Ogdensburg Correctional Facilities were rescinded and
the towns of Ogdensburg and Moriah were able to save the correctional facilities which serve as
vital economic engines for all of the town’s people.
VIII.
Continuing Education Lecture Series
During the course of 2009, the Committee sponsored continuing education lectures on effective
sex offender policy, merit time and good time, and educational programs in state prisons.
Megan McLemore, a world renowned researcher at Human Rights Watch, briefed Senate staff
on her findings that drug treatment in prisons is in great need of public support. McLemore
stated that drugs are very accessible in prison and that drug programs “behind the walls” are
necessary and cost effective. To punctuate her point, McLemore stated that between 2005 and
2007, New York inmates were sentenced to a collective total of 2,561 years in the box 19 for drug
related charges. She stated that for every dollar spent on prison substance abuse treatment,
states save $2 to $6 on reduced recidivism and health care costs. Ironically, prisoners in solitary
confinement are prohibited from participating in drug treatment programs. McLemore stated
long “periods of isolation are a disproportionate sentence for any prisoner who uses drugs. But
for prisoners struggling with addiction, the punishment of the symptoms of a chronic, relapsing
disease, combined with a denial of treatment is cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment
that violates international law and basic human decency.” McLemore also opined that GED
programs were lacking in New York State prisons and argued that education was a proven road
to rehabilitation. Luke Martland, Director of New York State’s Office of Sex Offender Management,
lectured to the staff of the Senate and to Members of the Democratic Conference. Prior
to employment at the Division of Criminal Justice Services, Martland was a well respected state
and federal prosecutor. Martland opined that legislative efforts to restrict sex offenders from
residing in local communities were counter- productive. He stated that research supported the
notion that exclusion of sex offenders from their home communities promoted alienation. The
research indicated that some “outcast” offenders simply stopped reporting and went “underground”,
leaving law enforcement to wonder where they are were living. On the other hand,
Martland stated that sex offenders re-integrated into their local communities were more likely
to get jobs, obtain stable housing and be readily available for verification of compliance with
reporting requirements. He argued that restrictions seeking to exclude sex offenders from
schools, parks and other public settings should be thought out more carefully. Martland also
remarked that the stereotypical predatory stranger is more myth than fact. Martland stated that
the overwhelming numbers of sexual assaults are committed by someone the victim knows. 20 Alfred
O’Connor, Esq., a senior staff attorney with the New York State Defenders Association visited
the Senate and lectured the staff on Merit Time and Good Time – two meritorious based
19 The “box” is slang for segregated housing units or solitary confinement.
20 Indeed, citing Bureau of Justice Statistics (2000), the Fortune Society asserts that 93% of victims under the age of 17 were sexually assaulted
by someone they knew; 34% of child victims were assaulted by family members; a study in three states found that 96% of reported rape survivors
under age 12 knew the attacker. 4% of the offenders were strangers, 20% were fathers, 16% were relatives and 50% were acquaintances or
friends.
Standing Committee on Crime Victims, Crime and Correction | 2009-2010 Report 15