Queens pol introduces bill to expand reentry services for state prisoners
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By Noah Powelson
A bill introduced by a Queens assemblymember that would create a reentry program for New York’s prisoners to prepare them for their eventual release began making its way through the state legislature on Wednesday.
The bill, if it became law, would create a 5-year “reintegration pilot program” for individuals who are about to be released from state correctional facilities. The pilot would offer a starting point to expand state reentry services, which advocates for years have argued is necessary to keep formerly incarcerated people out of homeless shelters and end the “prison-to-shelter pipeline.”
The bill, which was introduced by Queens Assemblymember Andrew Hevesi, cleared the Assembly’s Correction Committee on Wednesday.
“The Reintegration Pilot Program would fill an essential need in our criminal justice system: ensuring that individuals leaving prison are equipped to re-enter society with the resources and support they need to lead stable and fulfilling lives post-release,” Hevesi said in a statement.
The Queens lawmaker said it was vital for the bill to pass for two reasons – federal budget cuts have left community-based organizations that offer reentry services at risk and because the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision doesn’t offer robust reentry planning prior to a prisoner’s release.
“Now, more than ever, is the time for New York to shore up those supports.
The bill directs the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision to establish the reentry pilot program alongside the NY State’s Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, the Office of Mental Health, and the Office of Addiction Services and Supports.
The pilot program would be implemented in three correctional facilities – two male and one female – of the department’s choosing. The program would pick at least 100 volunteering incarcerated people who have less than a year before their earliest expected release date. Program participants will be screened for potential needs for mental health, substance abuse, job training and education.
Six months before program participants are scheduled for release, the pilot program would begin linking incarcerated individuals with nonprofits and peer engagement programs outside the correctional facilities. These organizations would assist with applying for public benefits, referrals to substance abuse programs, job training programs, stable housing options and other assistance options as needed or available.
Program participants will be placed in these nonprofits and other groups for a year after their release, where they would continue to receive similar services, as well as guidance with their future court appearances.
No specific nonprofits or organizations were listed in the bill’s text, and it seems DOCCS and other participating state agencies would be responsible for identifying potential partners for the pilot.
DOCCS Commissioner Daniel F. Martuscello would also be responsible for collecting data on the program’s results. The commissioner would make yearly reports to the governor on the number of program participants who are housed, employed and connected with mental health care post release.
The program would cost the state $6.2 million, but the bill sponsors say those costs would be offset by lowering the state’s prison population and the number of people who require emergency shelter services.
New York State spends an average of $115,000 per incarcerated person per year, according to the Vera Institute.
According to an NY1 investigative report in 2018, 54 percent of formerly incarcerated people who went to New York City after their release ended up in a homeless shelter. These numbers were echoed in the bill’s text, which said the reintegration pilot program is meant to find methods to prevent that trend.
“Reentry planning and access to comprehensive support are essential for ensuring successful reintegration into the community after incarceration,” the bill’s text reads. “The Reintegration Pilot Program establishes a proactive, structured approach to reentry by providing incarcerated individuals with tailored support and services up to a year before their release and continuing for up to a year post-release.”
Hevesi, whose district covers Forest Hills, first introduced the bill on Jan. 30, 2025, where it was assigned to the Correction Committee.
Seventeen other assemblymembers have signed on as co-sponsors of the bill, including Queens Assemblymembers Catalina Cruz, Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas and Steven Raga.
While limited in scope, supporters of the bill said the initial pilot could lead to expanded partnerships between DOCCS and community groups that can assist with reentry.
“DOCCS has stuff but often we find when folks are released from one of our correctional facilities, we need planning and coordination both inside and then outside once they reenter, which we’re lacking a little bit.” Brooklyn Assemblymember Erik Dilan, who chairs the Assembly Correction committee, said during the committee meeting on Wednesday.
DOCCS currently offers some reentry services for incarcerated people facing release. DOCCS employs a Re-Entry Operations Unit, called REO, which can assist formerly incarcerated people with their medical, educational and employment needs. REO can also assist obtaining driver licenses, as social security and Medicaid benefits.
According to the DOCCS website, REO works with community-based organizations to develop programs and services through Community Based Residential Programs. It also awards funds to providers who help formerly incarcerated individuals with their reintegration.
How successful these programs have been in keeping incarcerated individuals out of shelters or from rearrest is not clear.
Hevesi’s reintegration pilot program bill is not the first piece of reentry legislation introduced.
In 2025, Manhattan Assemblymember Eddy Gibbs and Rochester State Senator Jeremy Cooney introduced a bill that would create a reentry assistance program, which would include a monthly stipend for recently released incarcerated people for the first six months of their release.
Under the program, formerly incarcerated people would receive $425 each month for six months after their release, totaling $2,550 total per person.
Cruz co-sponsored that bill as well, along with Queens State Senator Leroy Comrie and then-Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani.
The bill failed to make it out of committee last year, but was reintroduced for the current session.
