The State of New York is pressuring Tompkins County to deal with jail overcrowding by building a bigger jail.  We urge our Legislature to expand alternatives to incarceration and reduce the jail population.  While the County has been a leader in alternatives to incarceration, we now stand at a critical moment; we can move forward into a sustainable community or we can regress into a punitive and wasteful mass incarceration system.  We are calling on organizations to demand community-based alternatives to incarceration.  We cannot continue to criminalize what are essentially public health, education and economic issues.  We are not just speaking to the Legislature. We affirm the responsibility of every community member to make Tompkins County a safe and vibrant home for all. We commit to continued action until this goal is met.

We seek alternatives to incarceration that:

• Understand the system of mass incarceration in the United States as disproportionately criminalizing poor people, people of color, immigrants, and the LGBTQ community.  Expanding jails and prisons virtually guarantees that those cages will be filled. We will not stand for an expansion of this system in Tompkins County.

• Re-imagine our understanding of security to mean safe and affordable housing, a strong public education system, living wage jobs, affordable public transportation, and sustainable relationships with the environment.

• Are committed to separating the criminal justice system from public health matters. Jails should not be confused with treatment centers. We call for community based addiction recovery and mental health programs. The most effective programs are led by those whose life experience gives them expert knowledge in overcoming addiction and meeting mental health needs.

• Do not expand surveillance and punitive systems of control. We oppose alternatives that are just forms of incarceration in disguise. We seek to lead the way in eliminating the mass incarceration mindset.