Merit-based Reductions to Prison Sentences are an Economic and Social Boon to New York State, Comptroller Lander Finds

New York, NY — In a new report, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander found that proposed Earned Time Act (S.342/A.1085) — which would expand the rights of incarcerated people to reduce their time served for successfully completing educational, vocational, and other programs — is an effective and safe way to enable individuals to return sooner to their homes and communities, reduce the overall prison population, and increase individuals’ ability to find gainful employment after prison — yielding significant economic benefits and savings in operating costs. 

“By empowering incarcerated individuals to make their way home faster through dedicated educational and skill-building programs, we would provide thousands of New Yorkers with a real pathway back into the workforce and their communities, generating massive economic benefits and projecting significant cost savings for the State,” said Comptroller Brad Lander. “I strongly encourage state lawmakers to pass the Earned Time Act, a powerful and necessary measure to enhance justice while responsibly stewarding taxpayer dollars.” 

The Earned Time Act is a proposed New York State bill that would allow incarcerated individuals to earn credits toward reducing their sentences by participating in rehabilitative, educational, and vocational programs. The bill would expand “good time” and “merit time” allowances, enabling individuals to earn more time off their sentences for positive behavior and program completion, reducing recidivism and improving prison safety. The bill is sponsored by State Senator Jeremy Cooney and Assemblymember Anna Kelles. 

Comptroller Lander’s report shows that the implementation of the Earned Time Act would result in the following benefits: 

• 12,000 individuals will earn sentence reductions, gaining, in aggregate, 49,000 years free from prison; At an average cost of $115,000 per incarcerated person per year to operate prison facilities, these sentence reductions would enable significant cost savings for the State. 

• 6,100 returning individuals will gain employment, earning $494 million in wages over the time they would have been held in prison.  

• Training and education will enable an additional 1% of returning individuals to find gainful employment and will boost the annual wages of all workers by $700 on average. 

Comptroller Lander continued: “With DOCCS experiencing an acute staffing crisis resulting in diminished quality of life for staff and incarcerated individuals alike, the Earned Time Act would safely reduce the prison population and bring New York in line with states across the country that recognize the importance of rehabilitation in incarceration.” 

Read The Economic Benefits of the Earned Time Act.  

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