Source: Restorative Action Alliance
I’m reaching out to invite you to join RAA and its partners to sign onto a support letter asking for targeted amendment to New York legislation A8930 | S3201. Thank you if you have already taken action and please share with others you feel might also want to support.
This legislation seeks to update the process used to assign registry risk levels in New York which have been based on an unvalidated Risk Assessment Instrument (RAI) for almost 30 years.
While we do not support the use of registries, where such systems exist, it is critical that assessments are limited, evidence-based, and not expanded beyond their regulatory purpose.
The letter urges the legislature to remove the statutory list of risk factors in the bill and instead require that the review board (SORB) rely on validated, evidence-based assessment tools. As outlined in the letter, embedding non-empirical factors in statute undermines the goal of modernization, introduces punitive elements into a civil regulatory process, and creates barriers to adapting practices as research evolves. All of this is counter to safety outcomes and undermines the efficacy of the changes being proposed.
This is a narrow, practical amendment that helps ensure the assessment process is validated and stays within its purpose and scope.
We are inviting organizations, advocates, practitioners, researchers, and professionals sign on in support.
Click here for the sign-on form and letter
NEW Deadline: Wednesday, April 8 @ 5 PM
Please feel free to share this with others who may be interested. If you have any questions or would like to discuss, I’m happy to connect.
In partnership,
Amber Vlangas
Executive Director
Restorative Action Alliance
[email protected]
The Breakdown
Written By Quiet too long 04/03/2026
When you break the national cost down, the scale becomes impossible to ignore. A $45‑billion‑a‑year system works out to about $276 per taxpayer, or roughly $344 per household. That’s the real price families pay every year for policies that have never demonstrated a measurable public‑safety benefit. It’s a small number on a tax bill, but a massive number in wasted national spending — money that could strengthen schools, treatment programs, housing, or victim services instead of disappearing into a system that produces no return. When the cost is this high and the benefit this low, the imbalance speaks for itself.