Chair Brooks-Powers questions community programming capacity for court referrals
Brooks-Powers asks about reserving community program capacity for court referrals. Zayas strongly agrees, saying it would reduce people waiting on Rikers for beds and that increased city funding would move the needle.
And my last question for you is you've indicated that one of the issues standing in the way of reducing the jail population is the lack of suitable community programming
available to judges when they're inclined to agree to an alternative to incarceration and detention.
And I just want to say on the record, I really appreciate it.
I'll private conversation about that, just knowing that there is someone in your role that looks at ATIs as a part of solutions.
And resolving some of these matters.
Do you believe it would be advantageous if certain community programs reserved capacity to help accommodate court referrals?
Yes, absolutely.
I mean, and it would reduce the number of people on Rikers Island waiting for those beds.
So once those beds get open, once they're able to send someone to a program,
you know, they leave Rikers and that leaves another bed for someone else.
So absolutely.
And to the extent the city could increase funding for those programs, that will definitely have a, that would move the needle on the Rikers population.
Yeah, and a fan club in the audience.