Zohran Mamdani, a candidate for NYC mayor and self-proclaimed socialist, raised eyebrows with comments suggesting the obsolescence of prisons. In a 2020 interview, he questioned the purpose of prisons and the effectiveness of the current carceral system. Mamdani emphasized the need to ask whether prisons improve lives and prevent harm. He criticized the focus on violent offenders without addressing broader systemic issues and called for a justice system that repairs harm. He also highlighted the extensive power of the New York executive and criticized former Governor Cuomo's policies regarding prisoner release.
I think that frankly - I mean - what purpose do they serve? I think that we have to ask ourselves that. Many defend the carceral state for their own feelings, not its reality.
When you ask how many people come out of the prison system better than they went in, and how much harm is prevented versus created, the answers are often unclear.
Sometimes you have to ask them, 'What are you doing about them right now?' We need a system of justice that repairs harm and addresses it seriously.
The power of the executive is almost limitless here in New York State. Critically, Cuomo refused to let people out and go home.
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