Community | August 22, 2010 | 2 comments

Corrupt Prison-Based Gerrymandering Ends in New York State

source: http://www.alternet.org/story/147887/corrupt_prison-based_gerrymandering_ends_in_new_york_st...

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http://www.alternet.org/story/147887/corrupt_prison-based_gerrymander...

The axing of prison-gerrymandering will result in the reduction of the reliance on the prison industrial complex in upstate New York.

For years New York activists called for the dismantling of prison-based gerrymandering (PBG) that allowed mostly rural counties to inflate their population numbers. This resulted in financial rewards for those communities that utilized it. Brent Staples of the NY Times colorfully described PBG when he once said, "There are many ways to hijack political power. One of them is to draw state or city legislative districts around large prisons -- and pretend that the inmates are legitimate constituents." The new change could dramatically change the state's political dynamics.

According to research done by the Prison Policy Initiative in 2002 seven New York State Senate districts depend on prison-based gerrymandering to maintain their existence. One of the districts that will be affected is Republican Senator Betty Little's 46th District. Little was a very vocal opponent of prison-gerrymandering reform legislation. It is not surprising -- without her prison constituency (about 13,000 individuals in 12 prisons), her district would be unconstitutional. She knew that if reform happened, districts would merge and politicians like her would likely lose their jobs.

Maybe this was the reason why Senator Dale Volker (R. 59th District) recently announced his retirement after 35 years. He was one of the politicians who would be affected by the changes in the prison-based gerrymandering laws.
  1. groups:
    Community,   Politics,   US Politics,   Progressive America,   9 more
  2. tags:
    Corruption,  Prison,  Gerrymandering
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