Prison Closings a Concern for Aubry

During Monday's final meeting of the Conference Subcommittee on Public Protection, Democratic Assemblyman Jeff Aubry expressed concerns about plans for prison closings in the state.
Aubry, who voted in favor of their final report, voiced concerns about the the future plans for prison closings in the state. As originally proposed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, prison closings would be decided by his own task-force, but this suggestion was dropped as part of a three-way agreement announced on Sunday. Now the prisons will be closed at the whim of the administration with "consultation" from the legislature.
This change was better in the opinion of Aubry, yet he noted that it didn't guarantee participation from the legislature.
Additionally, he questioned the number of prison beds that would be eliminated, as the number had risen from 3,500 to 3,700. Aubry wondered out loud how that increase had happened and what savings would be realized.

Here are some of the highlights from the Committee's final report:

-Partial restorations of various General Fund aid to localities' criminal justice programs.
- Office for Prevention of Domestic Violence, Office of Victim Services and the State Commission of Correction 10% reduction restoration - Reject merger with Division of Criminal Justice Services.
- Technical changes and residency requirements for the District Attorney and the Indigent Legal Service Attoreny Loan Forgiveness.
- Deny transfer (for two years) of $1.5 million from Public Safety Communications Account to the Emergency Services Revolving Loan Fund.
- Modify money available for County Public Safety Answering Points from $9.3 million to $18 million - Additional $9 million to be used for operations and consolidations in fiscal year 2012-13.
- Reject $1.5 million increase in operating funds for the Office of Indigent Legal Defense Services.

Prison Closing Debate Breaks Out in Budget Committee

On Wednesday the Conference Subcommittee on Public Protection met to hash out two major issues under their purview, which included the Prison Closure Task Force. The result was in sharp contrast to most of the meetings on Wednesday, which could be characterized as boring and zzzzz....
Debate over the issue volleyed back and forth between Republican Senator Michael Nozzolio stressing the need to focus on the economic needs of areas losing prisons and Democratic Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry expressing concerns about the functioning of the prison system.
"The system's ability to do services should be first priority," argued Aubry, who acknowledged the need to consider the economic impact of closing a prison. This was in sharp contrast to Nozzolio's focus, which was on the need for a direct assessment of unemployment for impacted areas.
Aubry went on to say acknowledge the savings in closing prisons, while Nozzolio, who as an upstater and a Republican relies on prisons, argued that savings could be found by eliminating duplicity of administration. He contended that prisons with nearby properties could share administrative staff and seemed to hope that these types of cuts could "forestall" actual prison closings.
Seizing upon the idea of transforming closed prisons, Aubry noted that Gov. Andrew Cuomo's proposed $100 million in capital grants to impacted areas could be useful in this area. He added his own misgivings about this funding, which he had previously voiced concerns about to outgoing SEDC leader Dennis Mullen at a budget hearing.
This meeting ultimately has an air of uselessness to it, as the Prison Closure Task Force hasn't even been named and really won't begin doing their work until after the budget is due. It's all part of budgetary maneuvering that is either admirable or despicable, depending on your point of view.
(Editor's Note: Reporting by the tireless workers of StateWatch)

Governor plugs holes with more holes

Tasked with the responsibility of closing a budget deficit in excess of $10 billion, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has drafted a budget that is still lacking billions of dollars in specifics, which annoys good government groups, while some local legislators are prepared to give the governor the benefit of the doubt.
In its current form, the budget doesn’t include scheduled amendments from the governor and is still waiting on specific recommendations from task forces on mandate relief and Medicaid, which are supposed to target billions in savings.
Additionally, the budget doesn't include any information about planned prison closings that are going to be handled by a task force that won't even be assembled until after the budget's deadline passes.
“I’m trying to be easygoing,” said Sen. Roy McDonald, R-Saratoga. “The gentleman inherited a mess.”
For now, McDonald said he will be patient and trust the governor. However, he does expect details from the governor and his agency heads during the ongoing budget hearings. “You cannot expect me on April 1 to vote blind,” said McDonald.
This was also a concern for Assemblyman Jim Tedisco, R-Glenville, who said there needs to be time for evaluation, while suggesting that the governor was trying to exclude the influence of special interests with the timetable.
Regarding Cuomo's decision to remove the legislature's influence over prison closures, Tedisco said the governor was probably motivated by the legislature's track record of avoiding hard choices.
He argued, "Sometimes there need to be an adult in the room," and maybe Cuomo is the adult forcing the legislature to do the right thing.
These tactics have not been well-received by some good-government groups and have created some awkward moments at public hearings on the budget, with Assemblyman Jeff Aubry engaging in a particularly fruitless back-and-forth with outgoing ESDC head Dennis Mullen.
After being unable to garner any meaningful answers from Mullen, Aubry asked for someone else to direct his questions to.
Lawrence Norden, senior counsel for the Brennan Center for Justice,said the late disclosure of details will limit the ability of the public to knowledgeably add input to the budget process. He added that the ambiguities in the budget mean that the legislative hearings will be limited to generalities and broad themes on certain areas.
Blair Horner, legislative director for the New York Public Interest Research Group, added that this method undermines the public process.
Matt Ryan, the executive director of New York Jobs with Justice, was particularly perturbed about the ambiguity in the proposed regional economic councils. He said the state Legislature shouldn’t commit to spending hundreds of millions on economic development before it can be assured there is transparency and accountability in the system, which he argued is impossible without details.
“We’ve mostly been getting a shrug,” said Ryan about his inquiries into the councils.