We can’t roll back bail reform now

Virus proves wisdom of Legislature’s fix

As someone who has experienced the horrific conditions of jail, it’s appalling to see certain politicians in Albany continue to push for rollbacks to New York’s bail reform law during a public health crisis.

Amending the law to put more people in jail would spell disaster.

I spent more than four years in five different jails across the state, including Rikers Island. If you haven’t spent time behind bars, it’s impossible to imagine what life there is like. Jails are cruel and horrendous places that are uniquely illprepared to deal with something as serious as the coronavirus.

All the normal basic health resources people take for granted in their daily lives become luxuries, including access to showers, food, medication, soap and water. They can be denied for no good reason and are often doled out at the discretion of guards, who base their decisions on secret patronage systems they have established.

One time I caught a foot fungus in the shower. The cream they gave me was totally ineffective, and it’s still a problem for me to this day, more than 10 years later.

Even when there was a serious medical crisis, jails have slow and inadequate responses. When I sought help after breaking my ankle in two places, it took three hours to get me to an outside hospital.

This is the typical response that I came to expect. There is no sense of urgency because to the officers and staff, you don’t matter. You are considered less than human.

Now imagine what will happen when a highly contagious virus starts spreading. These facilities are extremely overcrowded and it’s impossible to do any kind of social distancing or regular handwashing. People are packed together all throughout the day.

When one person gets it, it’s only a matter of time before most people in the facility will become infected. The rapid spread of a virus will be overwhelming and put thousands of lives at risk.

Despite this clear danger, politicians continue to debate whether or not we should be locking more people up. The fact this is even a debate shows how little they value certain lives.

They are considered expandable parts of political compromise that are meant to appease elected officials who have probably never even stepped foot inside a jail.

While it’s especially important that we keep people out of jail during this pandemic, we must remind ourselves why measures like bail reform are so important in the first place.

We shouldn’t just express outrage at these conditions when something as deadly as coronavirus is spreading. This is the reality that thousands of people face every single day.

As a result, we only exacerbate the problems that land people behind bars in the first place.

When I was first incarcerated, I was held on $75,000 bail and suffering from substance use and mental health issues. What I needed was medical care, not a jail bed. I was never given the support and resources that would actually help me address what I was going through.

This is the story that plays out for most people who enter the criminal legal system. Their issues remain or worsen, and the cycle of poverty continues.

As I watch coronavirus continue to spread, I fear for those who are powerless to protect themselves. They are at the mercy of the political calculations from the governor and other legislative leaders, who are letting fearmongering from law enforcement drive their decision making.

It does not have to be this way. This is ultimately about political will and courage to stand up for what is right.

I urge the governor and state Legislature to hold the line against any rollbacks to bail reform. Lives depend on it.

Senhouse is a community leader at VOCAL-NY. She lives in the Bronx.