The Fortune Society Unveils 2026 Legislative And Advocacy Priorities

The Fortune Society’s David Rothenberg Center for Public Policy (DRCPP) today unveiled the organization’s 2026 legislative and other advocacy priorities, calling on City and State lawmakers to advance policies that promote decarceration, protect prior legislative wins, improve conditions of confinement, and support successful reentry for people and families impacted by the criminal legal system.

“We are proud of the progress we made in 2025 alongside our partners, from advancing housing justice to expanding access to reentry supports,” said Stanley Richards, President and CEO of The Fortune Society. “As we move into 2026, we remain focused on protecting hard-won victories while pushing for the systemic changes still needed to ensure dignity, opportunity, and justice for people impacted by incarceration. Our priorities reflect what we know to be true: reentry begins before release, young people deserve opportunity, and our systems must be rooted in humanity and fairness. Together with our partners, we will keep pushing toward a more just and equitable New York.”

Fortune’s 2026 legislative and advocacy priorities are:

#CLOSERikers: The humanitarian crisis at Rikers Island continues. The Fortune Society therefore continues to advocate for the closure of Rikers Island, in accordance with the plan to complete and open four modern jail sites in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx in 2027.

Protecting and Promoting Youth Justice:

· The Coalition to Protect Raise the Age: Build Futures, Invest in Youth: Along with more than 220 organizations statewide, The Fortune Society is committed to preserving New York’s landmark Raise the Age law, which raised the age to 18 at which a person is automatically prosecuted for all charges as an adult in New York.

· Youth Justice Innovation Fund (A.8491/S.643): For the promise of Raise the Age to be fully realized, The Fortune Society is also advocating for the Youth Justice Innovation Fund, which would direct $50 million to community-based organizations to provide a continuum of services – including prevention, early intervention, and alternatives to incarceration – for young people aged 12 through 25. The Youth Justice Innovation Fund seeks to streamline the process for securing funding allocated by Raise the Age to organizations that can best steward those resources into effective programming for youth.

· Youth Justice and Opportunities Act (A.4238/S.3426): The Youth Justice and Opportunities Act (YJ&O) would create a new “Young Adult” status, similar to Youthful Offender status, to people under 25 who currently face the threat of permanent criminal convictions and adult prison sentences. YJ&O recognizes that young people’s development continues through their mid-twenties and therefore young people should not face lifelong collateral consequences. This effort is critical in advancing racial justice as well because the majority of young people arrested in New York are Black and Latinx.

Supporting Successful Reentry:

· Reentry from the Inside Out (A.3934/S.5061 and A.3935/S.5059): Reentry from the Inside Out (RIO) recognizes that reentry must start before people have been released from prison to set them up for success. The two bills that make up RIO are the Reintegration Pilot Program Act (A.3934/S.5061), which establishes a pilot program to provide access to a range of reentry services before and after release, and the Access to Public Benefits Act (A.3935/S.5059), which requires the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYDOCCS) to coordinate with social service agencies and nonprofits to assist with benefits applications before release. The Access to Public Benefits for Reentry Act passed the Senate in 2025, so we look forward to building upon that momentum to fully pass and implement RIO in 2026.

· Transitional Reentry Health Act (A.1008/S.614): The Transitional Reentry Health Act requires prisons and jails to provide Medicaid enrollment assistance to all people leaving incarceration.

· Reentry Assistance Bill (A.6990/S.6222): This initiative establishes a reentry fund to provide eligible individuals with a monthly stipend of $425 for up to 6 months upon release from a state correctional facility, ensuring financial support during the critical reentry period.

The Fortune Society will also advocate for the following pieces of legislation and campaigns:

Compassion and Reproductive Equity (CARE) Act (A.7630A/S.7132A): The CARE Act establishes a comprehensive, human rights-based statutory policy to address the needs of incarcerated pregnant and postpartum individuals and their children, ensuring their welfare and protection.

Communities Not Cages:

· Eliminate Mandatory Minimums (A.2036/S.6471A): Eliminates mandatory minimum sentences, giving judges greater discretion to make individualized determinations and establishing a presumption against incarceration.

· Second Look Act (A.531/S.321): Allow people who have served half or 10 years of their sentences to apply for reconsideration and possible reduction of their terms of incarceration.

· Earned Time Act (A.1128A/S.774): Expand opportunities to earn “good time” and “merit time” credited against a prison sentence.

Treatment Court Expansion Act (A.4869/S.4547): The Treatment Court Expansion Act would expand access to judicial diversion for people with mental health issues and cognitive impairments.

Promoting Parole Justice:

· Fair and Timely Parole (A.127/S.159): Fair and Timely Parole would provide a more meaningful parole review process for incarcerated individuals who are already parole-eligible, and it would ensure that people are evaluated for release based on who they are today, including rehabilitation, personal transformation, and their current risk of violating the law.

· Elder Parole (A.514/S.454): Elder Parole would provide incarcerated people aged 55 and older who have already served 15 years or more an opportunity for parole release consideration. This includes some of the state’s sickest incarcerated people.

About The Fortune Society:

Founded in 1967, The Fortune Society has advocated on criminal justice issues for over five decades and is nationally recognized for developing model programs that help people with criminal justice histories to be assets to their communities. Fortune offers a holistic and integrated “one-stop-shopping” model of service provision. Among the services offered are discharge planning, licensed outpatient substance abuse and mental health treatment, alternatives to incarceration, HIV/AIDS services, career development and job retention, education, family services, drop-in services and supportive housing as well as lifetime access to aftercare. For more information, visit www.fortunesociety.org.