On Friday, February 4th, 2005 the Youth Resources Development Corporation and the Poughkeepsie YWCA were shut down because of lack of funds. YRDC works with youth and has an incredible track record in helping folks with job training and life skills. The YWCA was home to dozens of programs including teen pregnancy prevention, teen parent services, critical case management, daycare and afterschool programs.

The YWCA has been in operation for more than 100 years serving the needs of the community, and YRDC just passed its 20th anniversary.
 
Instead of funding these programs, it looks like the republican majority of the Dutchess County Legislature is going to vote to move forward with the jail expansion, UNLESS the community can mobilize to put enough pressure on the legislators.

On Thursday the county legislature is going to vote to borrow about half a million dollars to PLAN a new 300 bed jail expansion. The root cause of this is a state committee which has threatened to no longer grant a variance to move prisoners to another facility unless Dutchess county builds a new jail. The reality is that this threat is being used in communities across the state. Some have caved and built jails (like Ulster county where the cost overruns have been ridiculous and is 2 years over schedule), and others like Tompkins county have called the
state's bluff and refused to expand their jails.

If the county borrows half a million dollars to plan this jail, then the debate will shift from jail/no jail to "how many beds?" This is the critical time to make our voices heard. These legislators receive very little feed back and pay attention to personal phone calls and emails.

People interested in getting involve with this campaign contact
dutchessjustice (at) yahoo.com or call 845-416-8194 for
more information.

YOUTH ORGANIZING CONTACT: Obi Williams: ewinslet2002 (at) yahoo.com
ewinslet2002 (at) yahoo.com> , ph. 845.454.7095

Organizers for alternatives to incarceration point out:
- social services work better than jails. If we can
prevent folks from doing crime with programs like YRDC
or the YWCA then we can save money in the long term.
In November, Dutchess County BOCES Adult Education
staff were cut by 40% - their programs included
English as a Second Language training and job
training. We need money for these projects, not more
jails.

-- the expansion of the jail is a bully-move from the
state that Dutchess county should resist. We are less
than 50 inmates over the limit, and there are almost
that many of people who are jailed for parole
violations, many of whom could be put into an
alternative to incarceration program. We don't need a
new jail expansion, we need to find alternatives to
reduce the jail population.

-- Alternatives to incarceration are extremely
successful.  Dutchess County has an extremely
effective alternatives program.  It should be
increased which will reduce jail overcrowding.

-- If you own a house in Dutchess county, look out.
County Executive Steinhaus estimates that the building
of the jail will increase your taxes eighteen percent

-- and all of this money will be borrowed. If you
think money is tight NOW for social services, imagine
ten years down the road when we can't pay off this
borrowed money.