Dominique McNally supports Intros 447/629 and Reso 274 with safeguards
Dominique McNally of the Queens Community Justice Center supports Intros 447 and 629 and Reso 274. She says information alone is insufficient, capacity for complex youth must expand, and Intro 629 needs safeguards including legal counsel, clinical expertise, and confidentiality protections.
Good afternoon, Chair Stevens and members of the committee.
My name is Dominique McNally, and I serve as the clinical manager and Atlas Functional Family Therapy Program Director at Center for Justice Innovations, Queens Community Justice Center.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
The overcrowding and unsafe conditions in New York City's youth detention facilities are deeply concerning.
The city must ensure that young people have access to safe living conditions, consistent education, mental health care, and meaningful programming, including vocational training and reentry supports for emerging adults.
However, addressing these concerns must go hand in hand with reducing the number of young people held in detention.
We support intro.
We support Intro 0447, which would improve awareness of available diversion programs and alternative to detention and incarceration.
However, information alone is insufficient.
The city must also expand program capacity, particularly for young people with complex needs and serious charges, so that detention is not the default when appropriate alternatives are unavailable.
We also support Resolution 274, calling for New York City's inclusion in state Raise the Age funding.
As Raise the Age has increased demand for community-based alternatives, providers need additional resources to deliver the individualized services young people require.
Finally,
We support the goals of Intro.
0629.
Join on our experience with pre-trial jail population review at Rikers Island.
We believe individualized detention reviews could help identify young people who can safely return to their communities.
However, several safeguards are essential.
Reviews must include each young person's own legal counsel rather than relying solely on institutional defense providers.
We also have concerns about ACS, coordinating release efforts given its responsibility for detention and about protecting sensitive information shared among agencies.
Review teams must include appropriate community-based and clinical expertise with strong confidentiality protections.
Ultimately, improving conditions, expanding alternatives, and ensuring meaningful opportunities for release are all essential to reducing youth incarceration.
Thank you again for the opportunity to testify.