New York state prison inmates would get nearly $2,600 in taxpayer-funded pocket money to make ends meet after serving just six months in the slammer in a new bill making the rounds in Albany.
The proposal from two Big Apple Democrats in the state legislature would up the amount of “gate money” given to ex-cons from the current $40 — with the money used to pay for housing, transportation and other expenses, according to the Center for Employment Opportunities, which is backing the bill.
“Every year, thousands of individuals return to our communities, often with little more than the clothes on their backs,” state Assemblyman Eddie Gibbs (D-Manhattan), the bill’s co-sponsor, said in a statement.
“This isn’t just about financial assistance,” Gibbs said. “It’s about dignity, stability, and reducing the likelihood of re-offense. By offering this support, we’re not only aiding individuals but also investing in the safety and prosperity of our communities.
“Together, we can turn the tide on recidivism and pave the way for successful reintegration, ensuring all New Yorkers get a second chance,” the legislator added.
The bill, which is co-sponsored by state Sen. Kevin Parker (D-Brooklyn), looks to amend state correction law by adding a “Gate Money Program” section, the proposal said.
It calls for inmates being released from a correctional facility after paying their debt to get $2,550 over six months, with the payouts in monthly installments.
To pay for the plan the lawmakers are asking that $25 million be set aside from the state general fund.
“Today, people are sent home from prison with $40,” Sam Schaeffer, CEO for the Center for Employment Opportunities, said in a statement. “It’s hardly enough for even a day of food.
“By replacing the antiquated ‘gate money’ concept with a dynamic fund that addresses essential needs, we are not only investing in the futures of New Yorkers coming home from incarceration but fostering the creation of safer and more productive communities,” he said. “We know this approach works.”
According to the advocacy group Center for Community Alternatives, the $40 now given to departing inmates in the state comes from their garnished earnings behind bars, with prisoners who work in the commissary or elsewhere in the prisons typically paid 65 cents an hour or less.
Under the Parker/Gibbs bill, the inmates would receive $425 a month for up to six months, with the amount to be adjusted for inflation each year if the proposal becomes law.
The bill doesn’t specify the method of payment, a spokesperson for Schaeffer said.
There’s also no system for tracking how the money would be spent, but an independent evaluation of the existing payment program found the funds were primarily used for basic necessities, the rep added.
Not every lawmaker in Albany was on board with the idea.
“Unrestricted cash rewards to those who have committed crimes in New York is another example of the criminal coddling that NY’s ruling Democrats continue to engage in,” state Sen. George Borrello (R-Dunkirk) said in an email to The Post. “Crime pays in New York.
“Democrats continue to prioritize criminals over victims and law-abiding citizens,” he added.
But Gibbs, 53, knows about life behind bars — he served over three years in prison on a manslaughter rap as a teenager, despite claiming the shooting was in self-defense while his home was being robbed.
In 2022, he became the first person elected to the state legislature who has served time in prison.
Gibbs was elected during a special election on Jan. 18, 2022, and represents the same East Harlem neighborhood where he grew up with a single mom in a local public housing project.
With Post wires
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