Bail reform is working. Thousands of New Yorkers have been spared the trauma of jail and still come to court. But what about that guy in the Daily News w/ 138 arrests? A 2015 study finds: “Tailored supportive housing is likely to be less costly and improve outcomes.” [Thread]
In 2015, NYC's Bureau of Correctional Health Services studied 800 of the people most frequently cycling in and out of jail. People like the man with repeated arrests on the cover of @NYDailyNews. What they found: Jail wasn’t working as rehabilitation or deterrent. 
@NYDailyNews This week, @NYDailyNews ran a cover story about a man arrested 138 times. Predictably, they got a follow-up story: his 139th arrest. Cops tried to link 5 arrests to bail reform, ignoring that the old system failed 134 times.
@NYDailyNews Smart people said “WTF” and wanted better answers. See below. ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/pdf/10.210…
@NYDailyNews The 2015 study found that, over 6 years, 800 people in NYC had a combined total of 18,713 jail admissions and more than half a million days in jail.
@NYDailyNews Two charges made up more than half of the top charges landing these 800 people in jail again and again: low-level non-marijuana drug possession (crack pipe residue, small amounts, etc.) and petit larceny. The remainder: largely other low-level offenses: trespass, fare evasion…
@NYDailyNews Notably, NYPD Transit Bureau Assistant Chief Gerald Dieckmann told the Daily News these low-level offenses by people he called “career crooks” turn into assaults and slashings, but the 2015 study found this to be untrue.
@NYDailyNews The 800 frequently reincarcerated people were significantly older than a control group (42 vs 35 years), and more likely to have serious mental illness (19% vs 8.5%), experience homelessness (51.5% vs 14.7%), and engage in significant substance use (96.9% vs 55.6%).
@NYDailyNews Jail is hell for anyone, but especially for people who are elderly, sick, and disabled. It’s also very expensive. Jailing these 800 people cost $129 million dollars over the study period.
@NYDailyNews Yet, depressingly, the study’s authors suggested the 800 people had become acclimated to jail, such that it did not serve as a deterrent (if it ever does). And it certainly wasn’t rehabilitating them.
@NYDailyNews People in jail are exposed to serious violence, often including traumatic brain injuries (esp. at the hands of staff) which can worsen behavioral issues. Drugs are prevalent in jails, yet even those who detox tend to use drugs again sooner than those who receive treatment.
@NYDailyNews Mental health decompensation is common. Suicide is the leading cause of death in jail. Self-harm rates surge. 372 people have died in NYC jails since 2001. Overdose deaths after detoxing in jail are common, too. Jail isn’t healing, it’s homicidal.
@NYDailyNews Compare that with this: “Supportive housing interventions tailored to serve similar populations have been shown to reduce incarceration, reduce homeless shelter use, improve substance use indicators, reduce medical and psychiatric hospitalization, and cost less than usual care.”
@NYDailyNews I don’t know the man in the Daily News article. Neither do you, most likely. Neither did the reporters. All we know is what the NYPD said, and they have a well-documented history of misrepresentations and outright lies, and a clear anti-reform agenda.
@NYDailyNews A note: It’s likely that many or even most of the 138 “busts” cited in the Daily News were baseless, dismissed and sealed in court, in which case NYPD Assistant Chief Dieckmann may have illegally disseminated records that should have been destroyed under the law.
@NYDailyNews One thing is clear: 138 arrests and repeated incarceration did nothing to stop the 139th. Bail reform is about shifting resources toward real solutions.
Politicians who now want to buck a years-long trend of decarceration and increase pre-trial jailing in New York State would do so nakedly to further their own careers, not for safety. Just don't let them call themselves "progressive" if they do it. But we can still stop them.
Go to openstates.org and find BOTH of your state legislators. Call and tell them: I'm a constituent and I urge you to support the new bail laws and oppose any changes. Ask for a commitment. Give them your contact info and request a definitive response. You deserve it.
