Bring them home for the holidays: Families of elder incarcerated individuals call on governor for clemency

Members of the Release Aging People in Prison (RAPP) community illustrated on Nov. 23, the empty seats that they will be forced to celebrate beside this Thanksgiving.

For those at Foley Square on Tuesday, an empty seat is far more than just the sum of its parts. It represents a family member who has not only missed another holiday, it also affirms the long years they have been gone — sometimes decades. It is with this in mind those within the RAPP are pleading with Governor Kathy Hochul to grant clemency to incarcerated individuals who have spent long stints in the prison system and who are aging within the state’s cold stone walls without being given fair access to parole.