Release Aging People in Prison (RAPP) is a left-of-center campaign that advocates for releasing older violent and non-violent offenders from prison, regardless of their sentencing or the crime they committed. It promotes the idea that many older incarcerated individuals are incarcerated because of racism, and argues that their imprisonment is harmful to ethnic-minority communities. ¹

RAPP is a partner of the Parole Preparation Project and is a member of the People’s Campaign for Parole Justice coalition as well as organizations that advocate for eliminating life sentences, including The Sentencing Project, Drop LWOP, and Decarcerate PA and its Abolish Death By Incarceration program. ² It is also a partner of Justice Roadmap NY, a left-of-center criminal justice advocacy group that campaigns in support of decriminalization efforts and in support of reducing criminal penalties, including deportation. ^{3 4}

History

Release Aging People in Prison was founded in 2013 as a project of Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs (SEE) to campaign for the early release of older individuals in prison. ⁵ It advocates for releasing both violent and non-violent offenders in New York, including individuals who have been sentenced to life in prison. ⁶

RAPP was founded by three former convicts to advocate for changing New York State Parole Board regulations to have release decisions be made based on determinations of incarcerated individuals’ character at the time of parole board review. Its founders created RAPP to campaign in support of left-of-center criminal justice reforms and advocate for including violent crimes in advocacy efforts that would reduce or eliminate incarceration. ^{7 8}

RAPP’s initial campaigns advocated for and lobbied with then-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) to not reappoint five select members of New York state’s parole board in 2017 as they were white and have law enforcement backgrounds. ⁹ Instead, RAPP advocated for individuals to be appointed to the parole board that do not have a law enforcement or prosecutorial background. ¹⁰

Campaigns

Parole

As the founder of the New York State-based People’s Campaign for Parole Justice coalition, Releasing Aging People in Prison advocates for the New York State Parole Board to make changes that would result in the release of prisoners solely based on their character traits and without regard for the crimes they committed, and for eliminating life sentences. ¹¹

The People’s Campaign for Parole Justice campaigns in support of the Fair and Timely Parole bill, which would require parole hearings to be based solely on the safety risk and “transformation” of prospective parolees. It also campaigns in support of the Elder Parole Bill, which would allow anyone over the age of 55 who has served 15 years in prison to be eligible for a parole hearing. ^{12 13}

Clemency

RAPP advocates for New York’s governor to grant clemency to individuals in New York state who are elderly or have received a life sentence. It operates the New Yorkers for Clemency website to campaign in support of the idea that individuals with life sentences in New York should receive clemency and be granted release from prison. ¹⁴

New Yorkers for Clemency advocates that Governor Kathy Hochul (D-NY) “frequently” exercise her authority to grant clemency for individuals and should not exclude “anyone based on the nature of their crime, sentence, or time served,” claiming that doing so is necessary to be “inclusive.” It also advocates for the governor’s office to publish information on the status of clemency applications and an explanation of denials to allow for scrutiny. ¹⁵

Leadership

Release Aging People in Prison was co-founded by Mujahid Farid after being released from prison in 2011. He had served in prison since 1978 for the attempted murder of a police officer and had made multiple failed attempts to obtain parole prior to 2011. He reported in a 2016 interview with The Independent  that he opposes the idea that parole boards consider incarceration as a punishment and created RAPP to advocate for policies that would require parole boards to make decisions based on the qualities of inmates at the time of their parole hearing. ¹⁶

1. “About Us.” RAPP Campaign. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://rappcampaign.com/about/.
2.  “About Us.” RAPP Campaign. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://rappcampaign.com/about/.
3. “Current Campaigns.” RAPP Campaign. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://rappcampaign.com/current-campaigns/.
4. “About.” Justice Roadmap. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://justiceroadmapny.org/about/.
5. “Donate.” RAPP Campaign. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://rappcampaign.com/donate/.
6. “About Us.” RAPP Campaign. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://rappcampaign.com/about/.
7. “Our History.” RAPP Campaign. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://rappcampaign.com/our-history/.
8. “About Us.” RAPP Campaign. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://rappcampaign.com/about/.
9. “Our History.” RAPP Campaign. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://rappcampaign.com/our-history/.
10.  “About Us.” RAPP Campaign. Accessed August 25, 2024. https://rappcampaign.com/about/.
11. “About Us.” RAPP Campaign. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://rappcampaign.com/current-campaigns/parole-justice/.
12. Heidi. “Save Lives & Urge Parole Justice Passage in New York!” Home, June 6, 2024. https://www.endfmrnow.org/save-lives-urge-parole-justice-passage-in-new-york.
13. “Parole Justice.” RAPP Campaign. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://rappcampaign.com/current-campaigns/parole-justice/.
14. “Clemency.” RAPP Campaign. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://rappcampaign.com/current-campaigns/clemency/.
15. “About.” New Yorkers for Clemency. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://newyorkersforclemency.com/about.
16. “If the Risk Is Low, Let Them Go.” The Indypendent. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://indypendent.org/2016/06/if-the-risk-is-low-let-them-go/.