FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, June 17, 2020
Contact: Jason Kaplan | kaplan@skdknick.com
NEW YORKERS UNITED FOR JUSTICE REACTS TO GOVERNOR CUOMO’S GRANT OF THREE CLEMENCIES
New York, NY – Today, Governor Andrew Cuomo granted clemency to three New Yorkers, extending full commutations for Freddie Harris and Juan Serrano and a sentence reduction for Teara Fatico. Please credit the following statement to New Yorkers United for Justice Chief Strategist Khalil Cumberbatch, who himself was granted clemency by the governor in 2014:
“Populations in prisons and jails remain one of the most vulnerable to the spread of COVID-19 and governors across the country have made broad use of executive clemency to safely, humanely address prison overcrowding – and mitigate the spread of the virus. Today, Governor Cuomo is doing the right thing for these three individuals and their families by acting now instead of waiting until the end of the year, and moving them out of harm’s way and safely home to their families and communities.
This is a step that should be replicated many times over: hundreds of already vetted incarcerated individuals and their families are desperate for New York to reduce its prison population in the midst of this pandemic. Executive clemency, used robustly, can make that possible.
We hope the Governor will move New York forward by expansively using his clemency power to get more incarcerated people out of harm’s way.”
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About New Yorker United for Justice (NYUJ):
New Yorkers United for Justice is a statewide coalition comprised of local and national non-profit organizations committed to supporting a movement that will bring much-needed criminal justice reform to New York State and ensure that policies promote safety and fairness. NYUJ aims for legislative urgency to fix a broken criminal justice system that punishes the poor and communities of color, tears families apart, and makes New Yorkers less safe. NYUJ believes that a system that ensures equal access to justice for anyone accused in New York State, regardless of age, race, ethnicity or social economic status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin or religion, must be the standard.