Order for a hearing on the civil rights and liberties of returning citizens and re-entry into their Boston communities.
0323. Committee on Civil Rights, Immigration and Immigration Advancement. Docket 0324. Mr. Clarke, please read 03240324. Council Illusion offered the following order for a hearing on the civil rights and liberties of returning citizens and reentry into their Boston communities. They did she recognizes counsel counsel Luann and and on docket 0324. Thank you very much, Mr. President. I offer this order, hearing orders that we can really evaluate and see what we can do more to support our returning citizens. Many of us participated in various forms of the budget listening tour that the mayor held, and we heard again and again the ones that I attended from returning citizens themselves about the lack of resources and lack of. And what we have we now have an office of returning citizens. What we can do to further buttress that office, to support the more than 3000 people a year returning to the city of Boston from prisons and jails who are in need of permanent housing or in need of employment or in need of driver's licenses. The very basics. And sometimes we need more than just referrals. We need people who are actually able to do case management and, you know, help people interact with them through the process. And we know that this is an issue that disproportionately affects our black and Latinx residents who are overrepresented and disproportionately represented in our criminal legal system. And we know that there are particular burdens, burdens that are that returning citizens face when it comes to placement in public housing because of because the very stringent rules around who can reside in public housing. And we also know that the prison system has long housed and held a significant portion of folks out front for mental health issues. So this is really when we're talking about folks returning our returning citizens, we're talking about connecting them to the mental health resources that they should have gotten in the first place. I had clients as a housing attorney who were I had to go visit in jail when they really should have been receiving services from a psychiatrist and got caught up in a very, very punitive system. So this is a hearing order to bring together voices in this space, a lot of them being led by returning citizens to really put our money and focus on really helping people to become whole. We too often are focused on individual decision making by a by an individual and not systemic problems and not bad policies that lead to people making sometimes decisions that are that lead them to this to places of incarceration. So this hearing order, I hope to discuss these issues and bring our office of returning citizens together with a lot of folks just for housing has been very active in this space and a number of returning citizens are hoping that we can get this out as part of the discussion to also talk about it as part of the budget. Thank you. Thank you. Counsel. Which and would anyone else start? Sorry. I'd also. Like to add Councilor Ryan. We're out to this to this here in order. Thank you. Sorry. Council of Wirral has added Council. Where would you like to speak on this matter? The Chair recognizes counsel role. Thank you. Chair, and thank you, counsel Louis. Jahn for bringing this quorum. Issue to the floor. And with the shadows, mass incarceration. Has cast upon too many of our communities. Especially. Black and brown neighborhoods. In our city. We need to ensure that those who have served their time. Can return to their communities with the opportunities, services and support they need to reintegrate successfully. Too often, residents end up in our correctional facilities because our city has failed to deliver them. The Education Economic Opportunity. As Counsel Louise Diane said also said mental health. Services and stable housing. They need it and to which they are entitled to. These systemic failures are exactly why we need to assess. How we can ensure every returning citizen has a. Civil rights restored and that our reentry efforts adequately address the root causes of criminal criminalization incarceration. I'm proud to support this here in order to better support our return to citizens and in assess how we interrupt these cycles. Thank you. Thank you, Counsel. Earl. But anyone else like to speak on this matter? The Chair recognizes counsel of our counsel. Why? You of the fourth. Thank you, President Flynn. Well, that feels nice. Thank you, Counselor Eugene and Counselor Morel for bringing this hearing order onto the floor. In a previous life, I served as a street worker and a direct violence intervention worker here in the city of Boston, first in Mattapan and then in lower Roxbury and in the South End. A large part of the work that I did was to support young people and young men and women who are not only systems involved, but who are currently and previously incarcerated. And so this is an issue that's very near and dear to my heart. I think when we're having conversations, particularly around the civil liberties of people who are currently or formerly incarcerated, we need to expand what civil liberties are afforded to them before they become systems involved and also after they come home and want to expand the way that we think about reentry, not only with a problem, with a problem free solution frame, which calls on whether they have education, have a house and so on and so forth. But to think about the emotional well-being and how they are reintegrated into their community and into the civil process, whether it be through community organizing, voting and so on and so forth. So I'm really looking forward to this hearing. I'm looking forward to hearing from folks who are currently or previously incarcerated on what the levels of support they need from the city of Boston. And I would also urge us to look beyond the supports that come from city government and look directly to communities to offer the support to these folks. So thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Counsel. Laura. The chair recognizes Counselor Arroyo. Counsel Royall, you have the floor. Thank you. President Flynn. And thank you, Counselor Louis Gen and Counsel Ralph for offering this. Over 90% of our incarcerated population returns back to our communities. That's that's the number. And so often what they need and what led them into the to be system involved in the first place is stabilization and resources. And often when they are entering or exiting, they are not receiving those resources. And that's actually a detriment to our public safety, a detriment to them, a detriment to their families. And if we are serious about ending cycles of trauma, ending cycles of of harm, we're going to have to be serious about providing resources and dedicating resources to folks. I know this deals specifically as well with some of their civil liberties in the actions we take there. But I also know that it has to deal with and does mention the things that we have to do to make sure that we take care of them from a resource standpoint. And so this is incredibly important work. This has a direct impact on so many people's lives and family's lives and a direct impact on ending cycles of harm and trauma. And so please add my name. Thank you for your leadership on on presenting this. And I look forward to hearing not just what comes out of this hearing, but what we do from the from that hearing on. So thank you all. The the chair recognizes the council region. Okay. Anyone else like to speak on this matter? The chair recognizes Councilor Baker. I just want to say. Okay, please. That council. Baker's name, please. That council box name. Buxton, Councilor Brading Council. Royal Council. Edwards. Councilor Fernandez Anderson. Councilor Clarity. Councilor Laura murphy. And please add the chair. I also wanted to highlight that myself and Council have already had several hearings in the past on quarry reform, which is also a critical part of this as well. Governor Patrick did an outstanding job working with the legislature in making reforms to quarry, but we need to go even further than that. As a as a former probation officer, there's nothing more frustrating for someone coming out of jail or coming out of prison to have that quarry hang over their head for their entire life, not being able to get a job or get into housing. But just want to say thank you to my councilors, fellow colleagues, for the incredible work that they've done on this work, on this issue. Docket 0293. Okay. 0.20234 will be referred to the Committee on Civil Rights Immigrant Advancement. 3240324. Mr. Clarke. Please read docket 0325. Docket number 0325. Councilor Braden and Councilor Flynn offered the floor for the following order for a committee meeting to discuss the organization of plays a public and semi-independent entities related to the city of Boston. Thank you, Mr. Clarke.