STATE OF POLITICS: Business Leaders Back Gov. Hochul's Plan Allow To People In Prison To Access New York's Tuition Assistance Program

SPECTRUM NY 1: A proposal that would allow people in prison to access New York's Tuition Assistance Program as part of Gov. Kathy Hochul's $216 billion state budget proposal has the backing of prominent business leaders.

The backing from the business community could be key for the proposal, which would restore aid for people in prison, and has been called a way to reduce recidivism and aid people in obtaining a job once they are no longer incarcerated.

The proposal has won the endorsements of JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, Ford Foundation President Darren Walker and Kathy Wylde, the president and CEO of the Partnership for New York City.

“Too many New Yorkers are blocked from obtaining the education and skills they need due to their conviction records. This hurts their ability to find jobs and earn a good wage after they have been incarcerated,” Dimon said in a statement. “Restoring the Tuition Assistance Program for incarcerated New Yorkers is not just the right thing to do – it will also reduce barriers to employment, help applicants contribute to society and put all of us on a path to a more inclusive economy.”

New York's prison population has been on a steady decline for the last decade and is now at its lowest number of people incarcerated since the 1980s. The state is set to close three more facilities in March.... 

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https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/central-ny/ny-state-of-politics/2022/…