Speakout for Survival and Mass Clemency

Join Survived and Punished NY in demanding Governor Hochul and New York State acknowledge and atone for the ways they have abandoned survivors, particularly survivors they have criminalized and incarcerated. Learn about our new report with Cornell Law School and join us for community building following the event!

You can register for the livestream here.

The in-person event is wheelchair accessible and will feature ASL interpreters and simultaneous English to Spanish/Spanish to English interpretation.

Background

Cuomo failed survivors in many egregious ways, including through widespread incarceration. Governor Hochul must do better, beginning with mass clemency for criminalized survivors as a first step towards addressing survivors' needs! Join Survived and Punished NY for a speakout and report launch demanding Governor Hochul and New York State (NYS) acknowledge and atone for the ways the state has abandoned so many survivors, particularly survivors it has criminalized and incarcerated.

NYS has consistently failed to meet survivors’ needs and fulfill the basic rights that could help keep them safe — rights to health, housing, and adequate standard of living. Instead, NYS has invested more and more resources in fortifying carceral responses to GBV that historically have harmed Black and other survivors of color. These chronic state failures have had devastating consequences for one subset of survivors in particular: those who have been criminalized.

When NYS criminalizes survivors for conduct that occurred under circumstances the State could have prevented, it perpetuates and exacerbates gender-based and racialized violence. Criminalized survivors are entitled to remedies for these repeated violations. Immediately, Governor Hochul must intervene and grant release to all incarcerated survivors and provide reparations for the State’s failure.

Survived and Punished NY will continue to struggle for freedom for all incarcerated people experiencing the gendered and racialized violence of criminalization, and for the life-affirming structures and community supports for survivors and their communities.