Rebecca Kinsella, Associate Director of Social Work at Brooklyn Defender Services (BDS) testified before The New York City Council Committee on Criminal Justice on the Department of Correction and Department of Probation’s Programming and Reentry Services.

In May of this year, BDS appeared before this Committee to express our strong opposition to the mayor’s proposed cuts to the budgets of community-based agencies providing services in NYC’s jails. We are now seeing the impact of these budget cuts. Critical programs and classes–including therapy, educational, and job training classes have been eliminated. DOC has been unable to adequately provide these programs. Programs provided by Fortune, Osborne, GreenHope, and other community-based organizations (CBOs) provided not only practical services, but a connection to community. After leaving Rikers, people had relationships with providers who could provide a continuum of care.

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One person I work with is detained in the new Enhanced Supervision Housing at RMSC (RESH). He receives what DOC calls “programming” while chained to a restraint desk. In his unit, DOC has been bringing half of the population out of their cells for programming at 5 a.m., where they remain locked to a desk until around 9 a.m. During most of these hours, no programs are taking place. People are sitting chained to a desk while waiting hours for a DOC program provider to arrive. As a result, many choose not to participate at all.

Read the testimony here.