Formerly incarcerated individuals want sentence reform in 2026
The nonprofit supports several formerly incarcerated individuals who are calling for three sentence reform bills to pass in 2026.
More Stories
A group of formerly incarcerated individuals in Westchester are pushing for sentence reform as we head into the new year.
After spending 26 years in prison, Leon Davis explains why changes are needed.
"It's important to me because I lived in an environment where individuals have evolved. [They] have become more and it's because of those individuals that I was guided on the path of finding my own self," Davis says.
Davis is an alum of Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison.
The nonprofit supports several formerly incarcerated individuals who are calling for three sentence reform bills to pass in 2026.
Davis says the bills allow judges to review long sentences, strengthen good time laws and eliminate mandatory minimum sentences.
"These bills are common sense," Davis says. "Seventy-four percent are supporting of the Earned Time Act. Sixty-eight percent are in support of the Second Look Act."
Davis says it could save tax dollars.
Jose Rodriguez, also formerly incarcerated, says the bills also help foster hope for the people in prison.
"You might call more and say, 'Hey mom, or hey son, or hey daughter, hold on. Daddy will be home soon. Daddy's almost there.' With my first initial sentence of a 42 year-sentence, [I] had no hope," Rodriguez says.
Westchester District Attorney Susan Cacace says it's important to weigh the pros and cons of each bill before anything is signed.
In a statement, she says her office "looks forward to working with our local legislators and our partners in law enforcement in examining these proposals to comprehensively determine how they will affect the communities we serve.”
In the meantime, Davis says he will never stop believing in second chances, especially since he's earned several degrees, including his masters.
"I have never met a parent that says, 'Oh because you stole, you're forever now a thief and you can never repair, you can never change or evolve," Davis says.
