A Citizens Group Is Looking To Push Prison Reform

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Prison reform has always been a very big deal for many Americans. In New York, there is a group of citizens that feel like prison reform is needed right now. According to WIVB, the group believes that there are far too many New Yorkers in jail or in prison for the wrong reasons and those inmates should be released.

Credit: WIVB,

The group has an idea called the "justice roadmap" that would include parole hearings for certain prisoners age 55 and older to reduce the risk of them becoming sick behind bars. The group also would like to end solitary confinement.

According to WIVB, Melinda Brown said, her sister took her own life while serving time in New York's City Rikers Island for prostitution-related crimes, and she believes that reform is needed, so no one else goes through what she had to.

I don't believe sex work is enough to give somebody the death penalty. It was the death penalty that they gave her. The system... I would love the whole system to stop and not even talk about being built from the ground up. Because let's be serious, they are going to continue to take our family members, continue to incarcerate people, and guess what? The things they are trying to stop are not going to end that way.

said, Melinda Brown according to WIVB,

I know some people here from Buffalo New York that are locked up for some crimes, that did not fit the punishment in my opinion. It is good to see that New Yorkers are pushing to help create change.