Reinstate the bus stop at Albany County Prison for children visiting incarcerated parents
- Location: Albany, NY
While many people in Albany rely on CDTA buses to get to and from places like work and school, a less obvious but equally important destination is all too often out of sight and out of mind for some Albany residents.
The Albany County Corrections Facility on Albany Shaker Road is currently one of the largest correctional facilities in New York State, admitting more than 7,000 inmates every year. That works out to nearly 500 friends and family members visiting their loved ones at the Albany County jail each week. There’s just one problem – there’s no bus stop.
While the CDTA buses on route 117 pass near the corrections facility, they no longer stop in front of it. Family members visiting their loved ones are instead forced to walk more than a half mile along the side of NY-151 before crossing a busy 4-lane highway in order to get to 840 Albany Shaker Road where the corrections facility is located.
Given the fact that 60% of inmates incarcerated in New York State report having living children, many of the family members visiting inmates at Albany County Corrections are likely young children. While the Albany Police Department has been taking steps in partnership with the Osborne Association to protect the children of incarcerated parents in Albany County from unnecessary harm before, during, and after the arrest of a parent and to attempt to reduce the trauma associated with the parent’s incarceration; the lack of a safely located bus stop undermines these efforts.
And the problem only gets worse.
According to visitation records provided by the Albany County Corrections Facility, while the majority of the 75 minute windows for inmate visitation are offered in the early morning or at midday, 41% of visitations occur during evening rush hour and at night. In fact, data supplied by Albany County Inmate Services shows that the number of visitations per hour is greater when it is later in the day
Unfortunately, this means that many of the families, including children, visiting incarcerated loved ones at the Albany County jail end up walking more than a half mile along NY-151 and crossing four lanes of major thoroughfare traffic during rush hour and at night, when it’s dark and drivers may have trouble seeing pedestrians – especially considering most drivers wouldn’t expect to encounter pedestrians along a busy highway. If CDTA shares the Albany Police Department’s views on protecting the children of incarcerated parents, their choice to remove the Albany County Corrections Facility bus stop from the 117 route defies all logic.
According to data acquired from the CDTA’s annual performance reports, both overall ridership and riders per hour for the 117 bus route have been steadily increasing since it was introduced during the 2013 fiscal year. So it would seem disingenuous for CDTA to make the argument that they removed the stop due to a lack of use. If anything, the Albany County Corrections Facility’s daily inmate population has exceeded 800 inmates this year, according to the Albany County website. If more inmates are being incarcerated at the facility, there are going to be more people needing to find reliable transportation to visit those inmates – not fewer. Unfortunately, the children of these inmates are clearly not being factored into CDTA’s decisions when they alter existing bus routes.
Despite the fact that children with incarcerated parents have committed no crime, they too often suffer harsh consequences as a result of losing their safety, homes, and self-esteem. According to the Osborne Association, while there isn’t a magic solution that can wholly undo all of the damages these children have suffered, visits with parents help in most cases to lessen the pain resulting from losing a parent to incarceration. However, the dangerous conditions that these children face when attempting to have visitation with a parent at Albany County Corrections Facility undercuts the benefits of such visitation in the first place and discourages future visits.
Given the fact that, for many, visiting loved ones in prison can be difficult due to factors like distance and cost, it is especially critical that Albany County ensures the safe transportation of the children and families of incarcerated individuals. Why should we be making it any harder than it already is for children to see their parents?
It is easy, and justified, to condemn the Trump administration for separating children from their parents and putting them in internment camps, yet are we not hypocrites if we neglect to help reunite – even temporarily – children right here in Albany who have been separated from their parents to continue to endure dangerous conditions? The children housed in former Wal-Mart stores converted to internment camps in states like Texas and Arizona don’t have the option of visiting their parents – they don’t even know if they’ll ever see them again. Yet we have the ability right here, right now, to help connect children with their incarcerated parents.
Sign this petition if you care about the safety of innocent children and want to make a difference
Firma la petizioneFirma la petizioneThe Albany County Corrections Facility on Albany Shaker Road is currently one of the largest correctional facilities in New York State, admitting more than 7,000 inmates every year. That works out to nearly 500 friends and family members visiting their loved ones at the Albany County jail each week. There’s just one problem – there’s no bus stop.
While the CDTA buses on route 117 pass near the corrections facility, they no longer stop in front of it. Family members visiting their loved ones are instead forced to walk more than a half mile along the side of NY-151 before crossing a busy 4-lane highway in order to get to 840 Albany Shaker Road where the corrections facility is located.
Given the fact that 60% of inmates incarcerated in New York State report having living children, many of the family members visiting inmates at Albany County Corrections are likely young children. While the Albany Police Department has been taking steps in partnership with the Osborne Association to protect the children of incarcerated parents in Albany County from unnecessary harm before, during, and after the arrest of a parent and to attempt to reduce the trauma associated with the parent’s incarceration; the lack of a safely located bus stop undermines these efforts.
And the problem only gets worse.
According to visitation records provided by the Albany County Corrections Facility, while the majority of the 75 minute windows for inmate visitation are offered in the early morning or at midday, 41% of visitations occur during evening rush hour and at night. In fact, data supplied by Albany County Inmate Services shows that the number of visitations per hour is greater when it is later in the day
Unfortunately, this means that many of the families, including children, visiting incarcerated loved ones at the Albany County jail end up walking more than a half mile along NY-151 and crossing four lanes of major thoroughfare traffic during rush hour and at night, when it’s dark and drivers may have trouble seeing pedestrians – especially considering most drivers wouldn’t expect to encounter pedestrians along a busy highway. If CDTA shares the Albany Police Department’s views on protecting the children of incarcerated parents, their choice to remove the Albany County Corrections Facility bus stop from the 117 route defies all logic.
According to data acquired from the CDTA’s annual performance reports, both overall ridership and riders per hour for the 117 bus route have been steadily increasing since it was introduced during the 2013 fiscal year. So it would seem disingenuous for CDTA to make the argument that they removed the stop due to a lack of use. If anything, the Albany County Corrections Facility’s daily inmate population has exceeded 800 inmates this year, according to the Albany County website. If more inmates are being incarcerated at the facility, there are going to be more people needing to find reliable transportation to visit those inmates – not fewer. Unfortunately, the children of these inmates are clearly not being factored into CDTA’s decisions when they alter existing bus routes.
Despite the fact that children with incarcerated parents have committed no crime, they too often suffer harsh consequences as a result of losing their safety, homes, and self-esteem. According to the Osborne Association, while there isn’t a magic solution that can wholly undo all of the damages these children have suffered, visits with parents help in most cases to lessen the pain resulting from losing a parent to incarceration. However, the dangerous conditions that these children face when attempting to have visitation with a parent at Albany County Corrections Facility undercuts the benefits of such visitation in the first place and discourages future visits.
Given the fact that, for many, visiting loved ones in prison can be difficult due to factors like distance and cost, it is especially critical that Albany County ensures the safe transportation of the children and families of incarcerated individuals. Why should we be making it any harder than it already is for children to see their parents?
It is easy, and justified, to condemn the Trump administration for separating children from their parents and putting them in internment camps, yet are we not hypocrites if we neglect to help reunite – even temporarily – children right here in Albany who have been separated from their parents to continue to endure dangerous conditions? The children housed in former Wal-Mart stores converted to internment camps in states like Texas and Arizona don’t have the option of visiting their parents – they don’t even know if they’ll ever see them again. Yet we have the ability right here, right now, to help connect children with their incarcerated parents.
Sign this petition if you care about the safety of innocent children and want to make a difference
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