We have lived through that uncertainty. During our collective 50 years in the custody of the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, we often watched people walk out with nothing — no housing, no money, no proper identification and no guidance on what to do next. Many of them returned just months later. It happened so often that we feared the same would happen to us.
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Commentary: Help those who’ve served their time get back on their feet
The wildcat prison strikes may be over, but the crisis continues inside New York’s prisons. Programs have been shut down. Community organizations have been locked out. Visits are now restricted.
People inside are scared, especially those preparing for release. With programs cut and resources stretched thin, the fear isn’t solely about safety; it’s about what happens next. For many, that anxiety stems from not knowing how they’ll meet even their most basic needs once released.
When our own releases finally came, we were fortunate. We had support systems in place — people and programs that helped us stabilize and find our footing. But we know that’s not the norm. Many people leaving prison don’t have access to that kind of help.
The Brennan Center for Justice estimates that over 80% of incarcerated people experienced poverty prior to incarceration, and that their economic insecurity is worsened in reentry as a result of the myriad barriers and collateral consequences that impede reintegration. Approximately91% of people leaving prison report experiencing food insecurity; more than 40% lack stable housing; and at least 60% will experience chronic unemployment in the years following incarceration due to stigma and discrimination.
These numbers aren’t just statistics; they reveal a landscape of collateral consequences stacked against people the moment they walk out of prison. Without meaningful pre-release support, reentry becomes less about rebuilding and more about surviving.
That’s why the Public Benefits for Reentry Act is so crucial. Put simply, the bill (S5059/A3935) requires DOCCS to ensure that people have access to trained benefits navigators who can help them apply for public programs like SNAP, Medicaid and HEAP before they leave prison. The bill would ensure that people could successfully access these programs immediately upon their release, allowing them to reenter society with much-needed medical and financial support and with a better opportunity at success.
The bill would build on a program that DOCCS is currently piloting in five facilities that ensures a person’s SNAP benefits are activated prior to their release. The program seeks to address not only the stark reality of increased food insecurity, but also the protracted delays experienced by people attempting to enroll post-release.
Giving people access to food, health care and housing support before they walk out of prison isn’t just practical; it’s necessary. It provides a foundation during one of the most vulnerable moments in a person’s life — when the risk of returning is highest — and shifts the focus of reentry to the necessary work of finding employment, reconciling with family and engaging in services and treatment. Without a basic safety net, working on stabilizing one’s life remains largely out of reach.
The 2023 enactment of the Clean Slate Act, which automatically seals people’s conviction histories, was a resounding endorsement of formerly incarcerated New Yorkers’ potential to change, grow and become thriving members of their community. If we truly believe in this idea, we must provide individuals coming home with access to the resources necessary to rebuild their lives and contribute to their communities. The Public Benefits for Reentry Act enables this, and we urge the state Legislature to pass this critical reform.
Jason Rodriguez is a policy research associate at the Legal Action Center. Reggie Chatman is the director of policy at The Fortune Society’s David Rothenberg Center for Public Policy.