Improving Public Safety and Strengthening Our Justice System

Provide social services to help ensure people return to court and protect public safety without unnecessary incarceration

Pretrial detention decisions should be based on risk and need, not ability to pay or access to private resources. Well-resourced pretrial services help people appear for court, connect to treatment or support when needed, and reduce unnecessary detention that destabilizes families and communities without improving safety.

Reduce violence and recidivism by creating incentives for good behavior and participation in job training and education programs

People are more likely to succeed after release when incarceration includes meaningful opportunities for education, job training, and rehabilitation. The Earned Time Act creates incentives for positive participation while incarcerated, reducing violence inside facilities and lowering recidivism after release, outcomes that benefit both public safety and taxpayers.

Mandate medically necessary pre- and post-natal care in custody

We have seen an 800% increase in women incarcerated in prisons since the 90s and some areas including Cortland County have a higher female incarcerated population than male. Pregnancy does not pause when someone is incarcerated, yet many facilities fail to provide consistent, medically appropriate prenatal and postnatal care. The CARE Act ensures access to care before and after birth, supporting early bonding between parents and infants that is strongly linked to better physical health, emotional development, and long-term mental health outcomes for children. By protecting maternal health and parent-child attachment at the earliest stage of life, this policy helps interrupt cycles of trauma, poverty, and intergenerational incarceration rather than reinforcing them.

Support successful reentry through housing, healthcare, education, and job training

People leaving incarceration face steep barriers to stability that, if unaddressed, increase the likelihood of reoffending. Providing wraparound supports such as transitional housing, mental health care, education, and workforce training improves outcomes for individuals and strengthens community safety.

Restore judicial discretion by eliminating mandatory minimum sentences

Rigid sentencing schemes have caused lasting harm without delivering clear public safety benefits, while preventing judges from considering individual circumstances, risk, and rehabilitation potential. Where greater judicial discretion has been restored, courts have been better able to impose sentences that hold people accountable while supporting treatment, stability, and successful reentry, outcomes linked to lower recidivism and safer communities. Eliminating mandatory minimums restores proportionality, strengthens evidence-based decision-making, and improves long-term public safety rather than relying on one-size-fits-all punishment.

Remove barriers to treatment and recovery by protecting participants in treatment courts

Using urine tests from drug treatment courts as evidence against participants undermines recovery and discourages engagement in care. Prohibiting this practice, and allowing the expungement of low-level syringe-related convictions, supports public health, stability, and safer communities.

Expand unarmed crisis response to improve emergency outcomes

Many emergency calls involve mental health crises, substance use, or social needs rather than criminal behavior. Supporting local unarmed responder initiatives allows trained professionals to respond appropriately, reduce harm, and free law enforcement to focus on serious threats.