8/8/2019 Testimony of Demos and the Prison Policy Initiative Steven Carbó, Senior Program Director, Demos

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/testimony-of-demos-and-the-prison-policy-initiative-steven-carbo-senior-program 1/5

 

NewYorkStateSenateMajorityConference

SenateLegislativeTaskForceon

DemographicResearchandApportionment

PublicMeeting

December7,2010

TestimonyofDemosandthePrisonPolicyInitiative

StevenCarbó,SeniorProgramDirector,Demos

OnbehalfofDēmosandthePrisonPolicyInitiative,I’dliketothanktheSenate

LegislativeTaskForceonDemographicResearchandApportionmentforthis

opportunitytotestifyaboutredistrictingreforminNewYorkState. Dēmosisanational,

non-profit,non-partisanpublicpolicy,researchandadvocacyorganizationcommittedto

buildinganAmericawheredemocracyisrobustandinclusive,withhighlevelsof

electoralparticipationandcivicengagement.Thenon-partisan,non-profitPrisonPolicy

Initiativeisthenation’spreeminentsourceofinformationontheimpactofmass

incarcerationonindividuals,communities,andthenationalwelfare.Overthepast

severalyears,DēmosandthePrisonPolicyInitiativehavebeenworkinginpartnership

tohighlightandputanendtotheinequitiesof“prison-basedgerrymandering”–thepracticeofmiscountingincarceratedindividualsasresidentsoftheirplacesof

confinement,ratherthantheirhomecommunities.Thetestimonyregardingprison-

basedgerrymanderingisofferedjointlybyDēmosandPrisonPolicyInitiative.The

subsequentdiscussionoflegislationonredistrictingcommissionsissubmittedsolelyby

Dēmos.

Prison-basedgerrymanderinglaw

DemosandPPIcongratulatetheNewYorkSenateandAssemblyforpassageearlierthis

yearoflandmarklegislationthatendsprison-basedgerrymanderinginthestate.With

thesignatureofGovernorPaterson,NewYorkjoinedMarylandandDelawareinno

longermiscountingincarceratedindividualsasresidentsoftheirprisonlocalities.The

priorpracticeviolatedArticleII,Section4oftheNewYorkConstitution,whichclearly

statesthat“nopersonshallbedeemedtohavegainedorlostaresidence,byvirtueof

hisorherpresenceorabsence…whileconfinedinanypublicprison.”

8/8/2019 Testimony of Demos and the Prison Policy Initiative Steven Carbó, Senior Program Director, Demos

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/testimony-of-demos-and-the-prison-policy-initiative-steven-carbo-senior-program 2/5

  2

NewYork’sprison-basedgerrymanderalsoviolatedtheone-person,one-voteprinciple

ofourrepresentativedemocracy.Legislativedistrictsmustbeofequalpopulationso

thatthevoterstrengthofacitizeninonedistrictmatchesthatofacitizeninanother.

Usingprisonpopulationstopadthepopulationcountsofdistrictsthatcontainprisons

countsallowedNewYorktodrawprisondistrictswithfeweractualresidents.The

votingstrengthofeachsuchresidentwasthengreaterthanthatofcitizensindistrictswithoutprisons.Thenewpolicyrestorestheone-person,one-votestandard.

Thepreviouspracticealsodilutedthevotingstrengthofurbancommunitiesofcolorin

NewYork.Threequartersofour58,000prisonersareAfricanAmericanorLatino.1

Nearly50percentcomefromNewYorkCity.2Buttheprisonsinwhichtheyaredetained

areconcentratedinpredominatelyrural,whitecounties.Indeed,eachofthe43new

stateprisonsbuiltinNewYorksince1976wasbuiltupstate.3Prison-based

gerrymanderingdiminishedthevotingstrengthoftheAfricanAmericanandLatino

communitiesfromwhichprisonersweredrawnbyexcludingthesetensofthousandsof

itslegalresidentsfromtheirpopulationcounts,whileenhancingthevotingstrengthofdisproportionatelywhitecommunitiesthatcontainprisons.NewYork’snewpolicy

remediesthisvotedilution.

Withtheendofprison-basedgerrymandering,incarceratedpeoplewillbeproperly

countedasresidentsofthecommunitiesfromwhichtheyweredrawnandwillreturn

aftertheirperiodofconfinement.ThepropervotingstrengthofNewYork’surban

communitiesofcolorwillberestored.

Ishouldnotethatthenegativeimpactofprison-basedgerrymanderingwasnot

restrictedtourban,of-colorcommunities.Thevotingstrengthofresidentsinany

legislativedistrictinthestatethatdidnotincludealargeprisonwasdiminishedwhenotherareascoulduseprisonpopulationstoartificiallyswelltheirpopulations.Thirteen

countiesandmunicipalitieshadalreadyrecognizedtheinjusticeofprison-based

gerrymanderingandexcludedprisonerswhentheydrewlocallegislativedistricts.The

newlawendingprison-basedgerrymanderingrequiresthatthatallstatelegislative,

countyandmunicipaldistrictsbedrawnonthesame,fairstandard.

 1UnderCustodyReport:ProfileofInmatePopulationUnderCustodyonJanuary1,2010,Executive

Summary,StateofNewYork,DepartmentofCorrectionalServices,availableat

http://www.docs.state.ny.us/Research/Reports/2010/UnderCustody_Report.pdf.

2Id.

3FurtherresearchandmethodologydiscussiononImportingConstituents:PrisonersandPoliticalCloutin

NewYork ,PrisonPolicyInitiative,January2005,http://www.prisonpolicy.org/importing/further.html.

 

8/8/2019 Testimony of Demos and the Prison Policy Initiative Steven Carbó, Senior Program Director, Demos

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/testimony-of-demos-and-the-prison-policy-initiative-steven-carbo-senior-program 3/5

  3

RedistrictingbyCommission

Dēmoshasnottakenapositionontheredistrictingcommissionlegislationrecently

proposedintheNewYorkStateSenate(S.7881A,S.7882A,S.1614B,S.2892,S.6240).

However,severalyearsago,DēmosandtheCenterforGovernmentalStudiesinLos

AngelesconductedextensiveresearchonredistrictingcommissionsthenunderconsiderationinCaliforniaandelsewhere.4Mindfulofthecentralrolethatredistricting

playsinthevitalityofourdemocracy,wedevelopedthefollowingsetofpublicinterest

goalsthatanyapportionmentcommissionsshouldaddressindrawingdistrict

boundaries.Dēmos’2006testimonybeforeajointhearingoftheNewYorkAssembly

StandingCommitteeonGovernmentOperationandtheAssemblyLegislativeTaskforon

DemographicResearchandApportionmentwaspremisedupontheseprinciples.5

1.PoliticalEqualityandMinorityRepresentation.Everycitizenhastherightto

fairandadequaterepresentation,withparticularattentiontocommunities

historicallyunderrepresentedinthepoliticalprocessandtodefinedcommunitiesofinterest.

2.ApportionmentCriteria.Thosewhoredistrictshouldbeguidedbyaproperly

balancedofsetofapportionmentcriteriathatpromotefairnessandadvancethe

publicinterest.

3.PublicConfidence.Apportionmentshouldbeundertakeninamannerthat

elicitsfullpublicconfidenceinthefairnessandopennessoftheprocess,with

transparencyintheproceedingsofthedecision-makers,strongprovisionsfor

solicitationandreceiptofpublicinput,openmeetings,thepublicationofdata

anddocumentationandaccessiblepublichearingsthroughoutthestate.

4.PartisanFairness.Apportionmentshouldproceedthroughaneutral,unbiased

processthataimstoensurethatneithermajorpartywouldbenefitunfairly

underanadoptedredistrictingplan.

5.VoterChoiceandGovernmentAccountability.Apportionmentshouldresultin

optimalvoterchoiceincandidatesandtheabilityoftheelectoratetoholdthe

governmentaccountable.

 4

Re-DrawingLines:APublicInterestAnalysisofCalifornia’s2006RedistrictingReformProposals ,DemosandtheCenterforGovernmentalStudies(2006),

http://www.cgs.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=91:PUBLICATIONS&catid=39:all_p

ubs&Itemid=72.

5AssemblyStandingCommitteeonGovernmentOperations,AssemblyLegislativeTaskForceon

DemographicResearchandApportionment,PublicHearing,October17,2006,

TestimonyofStevenCarbó,availableonrequestatDēmos.

8/8/2019 Testimony of Demos and the Prison Policy Initiative Steven Carbó, Senior Program Director, Demos

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/testimony-of-demos-and-the-prison-policy-initiative-steven-carbo-senior-program 4/5

  4

Basedontheseprinciples,Dēmosoffersthefollowingreflectionsonthepending

legislation.

PoliticalEqualityandMinorityRepresentation

Theopportunitytoelectcandidatesofchoiceandachievefairrepresentationingovernmentisacriticalcomponentoffullparticipationinourdemocracy.Thatideal

hasnotbeenachievedinNewYork,whereracialandethnicminoritieshavehistorically

beenunderrepresentedinAlbany.Drawingdistrictboundariesthatfacilitateracialand

ethnicminorities’abilitytoelectcandidatesofchoiceandachievepoliticalequalityare

paramountconcernsforapportionmentreform.

Dēmosrecommendsthatanyapportionmentproposaladopttheprotectionofminority

votingstrengthasastatepolicypriority.ThefederalVotingRightsActof1965affords

specialprotectionstoAfricanAmericans,Latinos,AsianAmericansandNative

Americans/AlaskanNatives,whomhaveexperiencedintentionaldisfranchisement,votedilutionandpoliticalunderrepresentation.Thatfederalprotectioncanbeundermined

byanychangeinfederalpolicyorbyhostilecourtdecision.Futureriskstofairand

effectiverepresentationtoNewYork’sracial,ethnicandlinguisticminoritiescanbe

avertedinpartifthestatepromulgatesastatepolicyagainsttheconcentrationor

dispersalofminoritypopulationsinwaysthatadverselyaffecttheirvotingstrength.

S.7882AandS.1614Bbothappeartoproposethatstatepolicygoal.ChairmanDilan’sbill

prohibitstheestablishmentofSenate,Assemblyorcongressionaldistricts“thatresultin

adenialtomembersofracialandlinguisticminoritygroups…anequalopportunity…to

participateinthepoliticalprocessandtoelecttherepresentativesoftheirchoice.”Sec.

3(e).Thatprovisionalsoprovidesthatthemaintenanceofcountyandvillageborders,compactness,avoidanceofpackingmultipleincumbentsinonedistrictandother

redistrictingcriteriashallbeappliedinwaysthataffordfairrepresentationofracialand

linguisticminoritygroups.SimilarlanguageisincludedinS.1614B.SeeSec.96(2)(C).

Iwouldaddthatoneobviousmeansofsafeguardingminorityinterestsduringthe

deliberationsofanyproposedredistrictingcommissionisracialandethnicdiversity

amongcommissionmembers.S.1614B,legislationsponsoredbySen.Valeskydoes

requiresuchdiversity.Itprovidesthatmembersoftheapportionmentnominationspool

andcommissionreflecttherace,ethnicity,andgenderdiversityofthestate–aclearly

advisableapproach.SeeSec.95(6),96(3)(B).

ApportionmentCriteria

IfaNewYorkapportionmentcommissionweretobecreated,itshouldbeguidedby

clear,explicitandpriority-rankedpublicinterestcriteria.Sucharticulationwillnotonly

assistthecommissioninthefulfillmentofitsdifficultcharge,butwillalsohelpassure

thatredistrictingprioritieswillnotbereshuffleddramaticallyfromonedecadetothe

8/8/2019 Testimony of Demos and the Prison Policy Initiative Steven Carbó, Senior Program Director, Demos

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/testimony-of-demos-and-the-prison-policy-initiative-steven-carbo-senior-program 5/5

  5

nextdependingontheparticularinterestsorpreoccupationsofthoseappointedtothe

commissioninaparticulardecade.

Onecriteriaofparticularimportanceisthepreservationofneighborhoodsand

communitieswithdistinctracial,ethnic,economic,historicalandotherinterestswhen

districtlinesaredrawn,asproposedinS.1614B.Unitingcommunitiesofinterestisintegraltoachievingfairrepresentation.Itisalsoafundamentalelementinclosingthe

representationgapamongNewYork’sracial,ethnicandlanguageminorities.The

subordinationofthisapportionmentcriterioninS.7882AandS.7881Adiminishesits

potentialimpact.SeeS.7882A,Sec.3(f)(v);S.7881A,Sec.3(f)(v).

PublicConfidence

Thecurrentsetofredistrictingreformbillsattempttoinstillpublicconfidenceinthe

apportionmentprocessinanumberofrespects.Theyincluderequirementsforpublic

accesstoapportionmentplansandotherrelevantinformation,publichearings,and

reportingonthefindingsofsuchhearings.Indeed,whetherapportionmentisdonebythelegislatureorbycommission,suchprovisionsfortransparencyandaccessshouldbe

partofaproperlyfunctioningprocess.

Asregardspublichearings,Dēmosfindsascommendabletheveryspecificrequirements

ofnumerousandgeographically-dispersedpublicforumsinS.1614B.Itsanticipationof

suchpublichearingsduringthepreparationoftheapportionmentplan(tobetelevised)

andfollowingitsdisseminationineachNewYorkCityboroughandinfiveothercities

arepreferable.SeeSec.98(3),(4).Noticeofsuchpublichearingsshouldincludeefforts

toreachlanguageminoritycommunities,usinglanguagesbeyondEnglish,non-English

languagemedia,andoutreachtocommunityorganizationsandresources.Scheduling

hearingsataccessiblelocationsandatconvenienttimesforworkingadultscanfurtherpromotemeaningfulpublicparticipation.

Enhancedreportingrequirementscanalsobolsterpublicparticipation.Whether

apportionmentisdonebythelegislatureorbycommission,thelinedrawerscanbe

requiredtocomposetranscriptsofeachpublichearingandpostthemforpublicreview

onacommissionwebsite;publishastatementexplaininghowtheymetredistricting

criteria;andreportonhowtheobjectionsandrecommendationsofferedbythepublic

hadbeentakenintoconsideration.Theseprovisionspromoteconfidenceintheintegrity

oftheprocess.Thisinformationshouldbemadeavailabletothepublicinprintand

electronicformontheinternet.

Provisionsregardingpublicaccesstoapportionmentplansandotherrelevant

informationarealsosuperiorinS.1614B.Itrequiresthatallapportionmentplans,

relevantdataandinformation,andmapmakingsoftwarebemadeavailabletothepublic

inbothprintedformandontheinternet,usingthebestavailabletechnology.SeeSec.

97(9).Iwouldaddthatcompleteorpartialplanscraftedbythepublicshouldalsobe

postedontheinternetfordiscussionatpublichearings.