Senator Anthony Williams Public Safety Policy

8/9/2019 Senator Anthony Williams Public Safety Policy

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Plan for a Safer One Philadelphia

Summary

Focusing on the Causes of Crime: Implement Philadelphia’s anti-poverty plan, and

focus on eliminating childhood truancy, implement a Vision Zero for student arrests

Reducing Gun Violence: Expand the Gun Violence Task Force, implement Focused

Deterrence, create an Office of Gun Violence Reduction, and promote gun violence

reduction in Harrisburg

Improving Police-Community Relations:

Hire and diversify the police force, end

stop and frisk, and expand the Police Advisory Commission, expand partnerships with

community violence intervention services

Investing in a 21st Century Police Department: Continue data-driven policing

practices with police data scientists and evaluation, expand the use of body cameras

and SafeCAMs, use civic innovation to create solutions to public safety challenges, invest in repairs to police buildings and new vehicles

Improving Pretrial Services -

Invest in pretrial diversion programs, reduce reliance

on cash bail, and encourage use of electronic monitoring and house arrest with work

release for non-violent offenders

Reducing Recidivism and Prison Overcrowding: Use city government as a model

employer for returning citizens, increase educational and job training opportunities for

inmates and returning citizens, expand Medicaid assistance to inmates and returning

citizens,

Addressing Domestic Violence:

Integrate domestic violence liaisons into city

agencies, advocate for increased emergency housing capacity for domestic violence,

and building a caring and informed government culture in relation to domestic

violence issues

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Where We Are Today

Compared to the largest 50 cities in the United States, Philadelphia still has a

significantly high rate of violent crime. Nevertheless, violent crimes have steadily declined since FY08, and there were fewer violent crimes in 2013 than at any time since

1985. It is crucially important to continue this trend, as violent crime is not widespread 1

throughout the city, but instead is concentrated in certain neighborhoods with high

poverty rates. The 14th, 15th, 19th, 22nd, 24th, 25th, and 35th Police Districts, which

comprise North and West Philadelphia, have higher instances of violent crime than the

average across the city’s twenty-two police districts. In FY 2013 alone, these districts

accounted for nearly 60 percent of all violent crimes in the City.2

In addition, the availability of illegal firearms drives increases in violent crime indicators.

Based on data from 2007 to 2011, young Black males with a history of involvement with

the criminal justice system are the most likely victims of murder by a gun. Over 82

percent of murder victims in Philadelphia during this period were killed with a gun. The 3

next mayor needs to continue the Police Department’s relentless focus on reducing

violent crime in the neighborhoods where it occurs most frequently, and invest in PPD’s

data-driven and targeted approach to reduce violent crime. An effective way to do this is

to integrate service delivery in high crime areas across all of city government.

Indeed, city agencies are too frequently siloed - such as police, fire, Licenses and

Inspections, and our public utilities. There is a need for more meaningful collaboration

across city government to improve the quality of life in every neighborhood for every

Philadelphian. There are a number of programs that exist, specifically the Youth

Violence Prevention Collaborative in the 22nd Police District, that embody an integrated

approach. PhillyRising is another initiative geared towards working with community

members to provide a single entry point to city government. Finally, the Police

Department’s Focused Deterrence effort in South Philadelphia was shown to reduce

violent crimes significantly by partnering across city, state and federal agencies to give

persistent criminals an opportunity to change their direction, or face serious

consequences. These collaborative efforts must be continued, expanded, and elevated

by the next mayor. As is the case across city government, Philadelphia Police

Department’s basic information technology (IT) systems and capabilities are in need of

1 Philadelphia Police Department FY 2015 Budget Testimony.2 Philadelphia Police Department violent crimes data, FY 2014.3 Philadelphia Police Department violent crimes data, FY 2014.

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an upgrade. Specifically, the lack of technology in aging police cruisers prevents officers

from completing routine reports without going back to district headquarters. Investments

such as equipping officers with body cameras, currently piloted in the 22nd Police

District, will protect both police officers and community members, and provide greater transparency. The opening of the Police Department’s Real Time Crime Center, a

modern surveillance center with links to video feeds, databases, and other

crime-fighting tools across the City also needs a more robust partnership with the

business community through the use of SAFECams. The department needs a basic and

comprehensive understanding of how it currently uses technology on a daily basis, and

how technological upgrades can improve performance, reduce crime, and achieve cost

savings. The Department’s current data-driven approach, including training police data

scientists to predict where crimes will occur, is partly responsible for why violent crime

rates have fallen consistently.

Chief among the tasks for the next mayor is improving the Police Department’s

relationship with neighborhood residents. The stop and frisk policy is the most

controversial embodiment of the antagonistic approach used in communities. According

to data collection on Philadelphia’s stop and frisk policy, despite representing 52

percent of the population, Blacks and Latinos were stopped 80 percent of the time, and

frisked nearly 90 percent of the time. In 97 percent and 95 percent of the stops and 4

frisks, respectively, no contraband was found. This approach negatively impacts the 5

Police Department’s ability to build trust and partnership in communities with high crime rates. In order to create a world-class Philadelphia Police Department, community

policing must focus on preventing crimes before they happen, by building relationships

to lead to important information.

Key to building relationships in neighborhoods is a police force that reflects the

communities in which they work. Between 2006 and 2013, the number of Black officers

has declined at a slightly higher rate than the number of White officers, while there has

been growth in the number of Hispanic and Asian officers. The Police Department’s

(PPD) most recent demographic data shows that from October 2013 to April 2014 PPD

hired 225 police officers, and only 14 percent of them were Black. Certain hiring 6

practices, particularly the requirement that applicant have at least 60 college credits and

4 PLAINTIFFS’ FIFTH REPORT TO COURT AND MONITOR ON STOP AND FRISK PRACTICES,http://media.philly.com/documents/stopandfrisk.pdf 5 PLAINTIFFS’ FIFTH REPORT TO COURT AND MONITOR ON STOP AND FRISK PRACTICES,http://media.philly.com/documents/stopandfrisk.pdf 6 Philadelphia Police Department, FY15 Budget Testimony to Philadelphia City Council, April 2014.

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http://media.philly.com/documents/stopandfrisk.pdfhttp://media.philly.com/documents/stopandfrisk.pdf


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pass a polygraph test have disproportionately affected Black applicants. A police

department that reflects the city’s demographics, particularly the demographics of the

high crime areas, is better able to work with the community.

Protecting our children is among city government’s most important duties, and it

requires significant cross-agency commitment to do it. For example, the Department of

Human Services (DHS) is responsible for implementing anti-truancy initiatives with the

School District of Philadelphia. DHS partners with the Family Court, the Police

Department, and service providers to ensure that students attend school, and partners

with parents to engage them on the importance of consistent student attendance.

According to student attendance data from the School District, on any given day 12,000

students, or nearly 10 percent of all students enrolled in public schools are truant. The 7

Philadelphia Education Fund commissioned a study that found children who miss 8 or more days of school have a 10-20 percent chance of graduating on time from high

school.8

The School District’s high school graduation rate is currently 66 percent, and reducing

truancy can have a significant impact on increasing graduation rates. In addition to

graduation rates, however, chronic truancy increases the likelihood of early pregnancy,

substance abuse, and being the victim or perpetrator of a violent crime. Greater

collaboration across agencies that work with families, including the District Attorney,

must be a priority to decrease truancy rates, increase educational attainment, and

reduce crime in our neighborhoods.

The costs of incarceration, and its impact on Philadelphia is significant. The Prisons

Department spends nearly $250M per year on incarceration, while 33 percent of its

inmates require either psychiatric medication, or have serious mental and behavioral

health issues. Nearly two-thirds of pre-trial inmates are awaiting sentencing and cannot

post bail. This leads to prison overcrowding, which has exploded in recent years in 9

Philadelphia and doubled the cost of running the Prisons Department. According to a

report conducted by Pew Charitable Trusts, Philadelphia’s prison population rose 45

percent between 1999 and 2008. The increase was driven largely by increases in the pretrial population, from 44 percent in 1999 to 59 percent in 2008. The next mayor must

7 Data from the School District of Philadelphia's Office of Attendance and Truancy. 2009. 8 Herzog, Lisa and Robert Belfanz. On-Track to Graduation: The Early Warning Indicators Project . Philadelphia Education Fundand The Johns Hopkins University. 2005. 9 Philadelphia Prisons Department, PhillySTAT presentation, July 2014.

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tackle the challenges of pretrial services and bail reform, and focus on diverting those

with mental and behavioral health challenges from incarceration.

Domestic violence is another serious public safety and public health issue in

Philadelphia that affects entire families, and is particularly acute in areas with high

poverty rates. A study conducted by the Pennsylvania’s Center on Family Violence

showed that between 2005-2011, domestic violence incidents increased, and 66

percent of them occurred in high poverty neighborhoods. Recent police data shows that

the department received 100,000 domestic violence-related emergency 911 calls in

2014, while the Philadelphia Domestic Violence Hotline receives less than 10,000 calls

a year. Women Against Abuse can house up to 200 domestic violence victims in its 10

emergency shelters, despite over 12,000 annual requests. The city needs to partner

with service providers to participate in a comprehensive citywide plan to address the roots of domestic violence and its consequences.

Addressing Philadelphia’s public safety challenges requires its leaders to be

laser-focused on reducing violent crime, especially gun crimes, and rebuilding trust

between police and community. We need to reduce our prison population, and ensure a

seamless re-entry for returning citizens to education and career. The challenges facing

our city are interconnected, and impact every Philadelphian regardless of race, creed,

or sexual orientation. Now is the time for leadership that commits to a One Philadelphia

approach to improve public safety in every neighborhood.

Anthony Hardy Williams Record on Public Safety

Public safety is what

inspired Tony to enter public service. After the shooting death of

five-year old Marcus Yates, he co-founded a nonprofit that protested against drug

dealers in his Southwest Philadelphia neighborhood. As a state legislator, Tony is a

leader in reducing gun violence, getting illegal guns off of Philadelphia’s streets, and

pushing to increase penalties for the transportation of illegal guns.

Reducing Gun Violence

- As a member of the Senate’s Law and Justice Committee, Tony is a leader in the Senate to eliminate gun violence in our communities. He sponsored bills to

require the registration of all firearms across Pennsylvania, and to expand

penalties for the transportation of illegal firearms. He launched initiatives like the

10 Women Against Abuse

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Gun Violence Task Force in partnership with the District Attorney’s office to end

illegal straw purchases in Philadelphia.

Protecting Our Children- Tony’s efforts led to the governor signing his “Passing the Trash” bill, aimed at

preventing school employees with a history of sexual misconduct from being

retained or re-hired at other schools. He also sponsored bills to expand

evidence-based anti-truancy programs, and fought for increased funding for Safe

Schools Grants, which help school administrators create and execute plans

designed to reduce and prevent violence.

Engaging Our Neighborhoods

- Tony believes that passing legislation is but one of many tools to advance our

city’s priorities. He sponsors numerous community-led initiatives to address our

challenges in comprehensive ways, including his annual Summer of Peace

initiative to teach children about alternatives to violence. He also launched the

Violence Reduction Initiative, which focused on aligning resources and efforts

across education, youth development, family services, employment and re-entry

services, and public safety.

Police Department Reform

- Tony has a long history of holding Philadelphia law enforcement leadership

accountable through his work with Mayor Rendell and the “Gang of Five.” Tony

worked with a bipartisan group of state legislators and Mayor Rendell to replace

lackluster leadership, and secure additional state funding for the Philadelphia

Police Department.

Supporting Returning Citizens and Re-Entry Programs

- Tony leads by example by hiring returning citizens in his legislative office. He

also fought to secure a $50,000 grant to save Philly ReNew, an innovative

program developed by the Pennsylvania Prison Society that provided jobs for

returning citizens.

Being serious about fighting crime is important, however being serious about

addressing the causes of crime is more important. Tony’s approach to addressing the

causes of crime will require sustained partnership with the federal government and the

Wolf Administration, to focus on improving the overall quality of life for Philadelphians.

Tony’s experience as a state legislator prepares him well for partnering with the federal

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and state government to secure the resources necessary to make a safer One

Philadelphia.

Strategy I: Focusing on the Causes of Crime

“Peace in our neighborhoods begins with the simple notion that children can grow,

learn, and play in a safe environment. Creating that environment is a responsibility that

we all share.”

- Anthony Hardy Williams

Simply put, reducing Philadelphia’s poverty, dropout, and truancy rates will effectively

reduce crime. As Mayor, Tony’s positions on poverty reduction through education and

job growth, access to healthcare and healthy foods, and a living wage will address the

fundamental causes of crime and make Philadelphia the safest big city in America.

Tony will fully implement Shared Prosperity Philadelphia

As Mayor, Tony will expand the Mayor’s Office of Community Empowerment and

Opportunity (CEO), and continue the aggressive implementation and measurement of

the city’s anti-poverty plan, Shared Prosperity Philadelphia. The plan outlines a

comprehensive, collective impact approach to eliminating poverty in Philadelphia by

aligning government agencies, philanthropic institutions, and community-based

organizations to address the root causes of poverty.

The plan calls for expanding workforce development and job creation, increasing

access to public benefits and quality early learning, and strengthening housing and

economic security for Philadelphians. The hallmarks of any successful collective impact

initiative are partnership and collaboration. Tony’s approach to governing will be to

break down the silos of city government, and marshal all of its resources towards

addressing these intractable challenges.

Tony will focus on eliminating childhood truancy

Regular attendance, especially in younger children, is a key indicator of whether a child will graduate from high school, be incarcerated, or murdered. As a state senator, Tony 11

authored legislation to combat childhood truancy in elementary and middle schools by

holding parents accountable, creating a pilot program allowing the District Attorney and

Attorney General’s office to issue warnings to the parents of frequently truant children.

11 Herzog, Lisa and Robert Belfanz. On-Track to Graduation: The Early Warning Indicators Project . Philadelphia EducationFund and The Johns Hopkins University. 2005.

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We also need to reach the children. Approaches that involve youth in decision-making,

such as restorative justice, youth courts, and peer interventions make sense as

additions to school curricula. Creating a continuum of developmentally appropriate and

proportional consequences to address persistent, worsening behavioral issues will mitigate juvenile entry into the system. The School District of Philadelphia and the

Philadelphia Police Department need to collaborate more effectively and reform policies

and procedures that funnel children to the justice system. As Mayor, Tony will use the

full power of the mayor’s office to work with the School District, the District Attorney, and

other relevant city agencies to share data, improve collaboration, and engage parents

on their responsibilities and the consequences of childhood truancy so that we raise

expectations for our youth.

Tony will end the school to prison pipeline with a Vision Zero for student arrests

Based on School District data, in the 2013-2014 school year there were 7,569 serious

incidents that resulted in 1,555 arrests on school grounds, of which 80 percent were

African American males. As Mayor, Tony will invest in the School Diversion Program to

reduce student arrests in half by 2020, with a goal to achieve zero arrests by 2024. The

School Diversion Program is a collaboration between the Family Court, the Police

Department and Human Services designed to divert low-risk children and youth from

the juvenile justice system, and provide them and their families with social services and

supports.

Strategy II: Reducing Gun Violence

“I work every day in my district to encourage people and neighborhoods to work

together to reduce gun violence. Just as important as cooperation in that dialogue is

policy to support that work.”


Since 2008, Philadelphia’s major crime rates declined thanks to an effective partnership

between the Mayor, Police Commissioner, the District Attorney, and hard-working police

officers and law enforcement professionals. While the City continues to make significant progress in reducing gun crimes, there is much more to do to make every Philadelphia

neighborhood safe.

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Tony will work to expand the Gun Violence Task Force

In 2005, Tony worked to create the Gun Violence Taskforce to end the straw purchasing

of guns in Philadelphia, and made Philadelphia a national leader in pursuing gun-related

cases. This is a proven method to help combat crime and violence, and Tony will fight to fully fund this program. He will continue to push for full funding of the task force budget

at the state level, and will increase Philadelphia gun license fees by 50 percent, from

$20 to $30, to provide an estimated $350,000 in new, local revenue for the task force.

Tony will work to implement Focused Deterrence Citywide

As Mayor, Tony will direct the Police Commissioner to work with the District Attorney

and other agencies to expand “Focused Deterrence” to each of the City’s 6 police

divisions. He will create a Director of Gun Violence Reduction in the Mayor’s Office to

coordinate and implement the strategy. The Director will have the authority and

resources to coordinate multiple agencies and ensure that this strategy is executed and

sustained in accordance with best practices. Focused deterrence emphasizes

cross-agency collaboration and targeted engagement with those individuals at greatest

risk of being the victim or the perpetrator of gun crime. This proven strategy invests in

partnerships that direct social services towards violent offenders in areas with high

crime rates. It provides criminals and their associates with a choice: Stop shooting or

face coordinated enforcement from all elements of the criminal justice system.

Participants are also given the opportunity to change through streamlined connection

with education and job training services. To date, this strategy has shown success in

South Philadelphia, where homicides are at an historic low.

Tony will continue to promote common-sense gun laws in Harrisburg

As a state legislator, Tony sponsored numerous bills to stop the inflow of illegal guns

into Philadelphia. As Mayor, Tony will continue the fight against the NRA to protect

Philadelphians from unnecessary gun violence due to illegal guns on our streets.

Strategy III: Improving Police-Community Relations

“Police Department performance should not relate to the issue of color, the issue ofgender, or the issue of who lives in what neighborhood. It should relate simply to the

fact that the person knows what they are doing.''


Trust, between citizens and officers depends on our concerted efforts to treat one

another fairly, justly and foster a climate of respect. These expectations are established

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and maintained through practical reforms and initiatives with the vision of community

members investing in the work of law enforcement and law enforcement investing in the

work of community building. Law enforcement agencies should use creative approaches

that proactively promote public outreach, initiating positive non-enforcement activities to engage communities that typically have high rates crime, investigation, and

enforcement. Communities should collaborate with law enforcement to develop policies

and strategies for deploying resources to better address crime in their neighborhoods.

This civic exchange will lend legitimacy, promote credibility, and positively impact the

narrative of urban policing.

Tony fully endorses recommendations issued by the President’s Task Force on

21st Century Policing, and the U.S. Department of Justice to improve public

safety in Philadelphia

Recognizing national concerns about law enforcement’s use of force and tense history

of policing in Philadelphia, the U.S. Department of Justice analysed existing practices

within the Philadelphia Police Department and set a reform agenda. 12

Recommendations included decoupling electronic control weapons (ECWs) and crisis

intervention training (CIT) both conceptually and operationally. This avoids conflating

tactical responses, while limiting - and thus undermining - use of less-lethal tools. In

addition, Police Commissioner Ramsey co-chaired President Obama’s Task Force on

21st Century Policing. As Mayor, Tony will adopt the appropriate recommendations from

those reports, like training all officers in cultural competency to ensure clear, consistent

and regular development across the force. Policies that maintain respect when determining gender identity for arrest placement, or in interactions with immigrant or

non-English speaking groups must be priorities, as well as reinforcing policies for the

prevention of sexual misconduct and harassment. In addition, Tony will encourage

practical accountability measures, and pursue more efficient investigative and review

processes so that oversight and transparency are featured aspects of law enforcement.

Specifically, he will call for the inclusion of a “character clause” in police officer contracts

to fire officers that publicly use hate speech.

Tony will recruit and hire a diverse police force connected to the community As Mayor, Tony will work closely with the Police Commissioner to fully staff and

diversify the PPD’s sworn personnel by the end of his first term. Over the last two years,

PPD is expected to lose nearly 500 police officers due to the DROP program alone. 13

12 Fachner, George, and Steven Carter. 2015. An Assessment of Deadly Force in the Philadelphia Police Department. Collaborative Reform Initiative.13 Philadelphia Police Department, FY15 Budget Testimony to Philadelphia City Council, April 2014

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With respect to diversity, the Police Department’s (PPD) most recent demographic data

shows that from October 2013 to April 2014 PPD hired 225 police officers, and only

14% of them were Black. As Mayor, Tony will launch a partnership with City Council,

municipal agencies, workforce development community, and the Community College of Philadelphia to boost diverse recruitment efforts in all public safety agencies. This effort

will serve as a model for diversifying the entire municipal workforce. Public safety

professionals, and indeed all municipal workers, must reflect the communities and the

city they serve.

Tony will end Stop and Frisk and invest in community policing

As Mayor, Tony will bring an end to the illegal practice known as stop and frisk. He will

work with the Philadelphia Police Department (PPD) to eliminate this outdated policy

because it diminishes its ability to effectively implement community policing, and

reduces trust and partnership with neighborhood residents. He supports the Police

Department’s Foot Patrol Program, an evidence-based initiative that assigns rookie

officers to walk through areas with high crime rates that reduces crime by 23 percent,

and improves the relationship between police and community.

Tony will expand and elevate the Police Advisory Commission

As Mayor, Tony will support Councilman Curtis Jones’ charter amendment to establish

the Police Advisory Commission (PAC) as an independent body with additional funding.

Currently, the PPD does not fully accommodate the PAC in its role to provide

independent civilian oversight of police operations in Philadelphia. Tony will work to

dissolve disfunction between PPD and PAC, accommodating requests for important

documentation, investigative files, and data related to all uses of force. Tony will lead a

diverse coalition of leaders and experts from the business, labor, nonprofit, and faith

communities to partner with the PAC to build understanding between citizens and law

enforcement.

Tony will enhance police-community partnerships with community intervention

programs

The long history of reducing crime/violence in Philadelphia has shown us that community-based intervention is key. From the days of gang warfare in the 1960’s and

1970’s, to drug gangs in the 1980’s, programs such as Crisis Intervention Network,

House of Umoja, Concerned Mothers, Town Watch and other anti-drug/violence groups

have successfully worked to reduce and in some cases eliminate violence in their

neighborhoods. Town watch groups for years have been the eyes and ears for the

police, and operated with limited city support. As Mayor, Tony will work with these and

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other groups to expand their work and provide the needed financial resource and

technical assistance by coordinating with law enforcement agencies to make

Philadelphia communities a safe place for families.

Strategy IV: A 21st Century Police Department

“We need to invest in tools that help police officers to prevent and solve crimes. It is

within our power to create a 21st century police department worthy of its officers.”


Tony will invest in 21st century policing practices

In an era of tight budgets, data-driven policing spends scarce resources on crime

prevention strategies that are proven to work.

Using technology, data, and analysis to

designate police officers in high crime areas and using innovative crime-fighting

approaches are the hallmarks of a 21st century police department.

As Mayor, Tony will

continue capital investments through the Office of Information Technology that build the

Police Department's capacity to implement data-driven practices, increase the number

of police data scientists, and continue evaluation of successful policing strategies. He

will invest capital dollars to upgrade aging police departments buildings and vehicles to

ensure police officers protecting our citizens are safe as well.

Tony will encourage partnerships between law enforcement and the private

sector to prevent crime

Founded in 1997 and convened by the Center City District (CCD), the Philadelphia

Crime Prevention Council brings together a cross-section of federal, state, and local law

enforcement, private sector officials, and other stakeholders to align practices that

prevent crime and terrorism. As Mayor, Tony will work with business improvement

districts across the city with high crime rates to benefit from best practices developed by

CCD. In addition, the Police Department’s Real-Time Crime Center (RTCC) monitors

over 1,600 closed circuit televisions, receives data from automated license plate

readers, and provides 24-7 support to responding officers and detectives. It also 14

receives data from SAFECams, a partnership between the Commerce Department and

the Police Department to help businesses assist in crime prevention and investigation.

As Mayor, Tony will work with the chambers of commerce and business improvement

districts to increase the number of businesses that participate in the program, and

14 Philadelphia Police Department, FY 15 Budget Testimony to Philadelphia City Council, April 2014

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trauma-informed care and support for those with mental, and behavioral health

challenges.

Tony will seek to reduce reliance on cash bailPhiladelphia relies heavily upon cash bail, which has implications for the prison

population. Currently, only 18 percent of pretrial inmates post bail within 30 days. On

average, pretrial inmates are incarcerated for over 200 days, at a cost of $23,000 -

nearly double the School District’s per pupil allocation. As Mayor, Tony will work with

the First Judicial District and the District Attorney to adhere to the American Bar

Association’s Standards on Pretrial Release, and limit the use of cash bail unless

appearance at court cannot be reasonably assured or if the individual poses a

significant threat to the public.

Tony supports expanding the use of intensive direct supervision, electronic

monitoring, and house arrest with work release for non-violent offenders

Developing a more intelligent approach to incarceration will lead to significant cost

savings which can be reinvested to achieve better education outcomes for our kids.

Currently, the city’s jails are overcrowded by at least 1,700 people. As Mayor, Tony will

support the expansion of options at preliminary arraignments. For example, ordering

non-violent offenders to house arrest with work release will allow these individuals to

keep their housing, income, and provide for their family. The income derived from

maintaining their job can cover the cost of electronic monitors that offer accountability

and transparency, at a lower cost to Philadelphia’s taxpayers.

Strategy VI: Reducing Recidivism

“We have to invest in programs that reduce recidivism. If we don’t pay on the front end,

we’ll pay $30,000 to $40,000 per person, per year, on the back end.”


The Bureau of Justice Statistics pegs the cost of recidivism in Philadelphia at $500M. 15

The costs of corrections budgets are often unpredictable, and can range from 1% to 34% higher than the projected amount owing to unbudgeted expenses like prisoner

health care. For example, last year the Philadelphia Prisons Department requested a 16

$430,000 budget increase due to medical health care for inmates. As Mayor, Tony will

15 Bureau of Justice Statistics16 Bureau of Justice Statistics. Prison population declined in 26 states during 2011. Available at:http://www.ojp.gov/newsroom/pressreleases/2012/ojppr121712_2.pdf.

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expand educational and vocational opportunities for inmates and returning citizens, call

for a citywide strategy to improve healthcare delivery and coordination in city prisons to

reduce recidivism and get returning citizens the medical care they need to be

successful.

Tony will establish City Hall as a model employer for returning citizens

As a state legislator, Tony currently employs returning citizens in his legislative office.

As Mayor, Tony will lead by example and hire returning citizens to work in his

administration, and will call on employers to increase their hiring of qualified returning

citizens. City contracts will reflect the need to partner with providers that train returning

citizens to source qualified applicants for jobs beyond entry-level positions.

Tony will increase educational & job training opportunities for returning citizens

Nearly 40 percent of inmates lack a GED or a high school diploma. As a result,

returning citizens too often struggle to find employment after their release, leading to

economic desperation that is an incentive to reoffend. To address this issue, the next

mayor must increase the number of inmates who participate in vocational or educational

programs. For example, the Community College of Philadelphia offers courses for a

limited number of inmates through its Re-Entry Support Project, and the REACH

College program. As Mayor, Tony will fund the expansion of these programs to equip

returning citizens with the skills and education to rejoin the workforce.

Tony will work with the Wolf Administration to expand Medicaid to returning

citizens

As Mayor, Tony will work with the Wolf Administration to expand Medicaid in

Philadelphia, and returning citizens with access to healthcare, including mental and

behavioral health services. According to the Philadelphia Prisons Department, nearly 33

percent of all inmates require behavioral health treatment. Many cases of violence 17

within prisons are specifically linked to a lack of mental health care, leading to longer

periods of incarceration. Recent studies have shown that returning citizens are also

more at risk of dying from drug overdoses or from unnatural causes, and those in

treatment for substance use disorders do not commit as many crimes as those not in treatment. Providing inmates and returning citizens with access to quality healthcare 18

will save the City of Philadelphia millions of dollars each year by reducing recidivism,

17 PhillySTAT Philadelphia Prison System Performance Data Presentation, July 14, 2014.18 Pew Charitable Trust. Collateral costs: incarceration’s effect on economic mobility. Available at:http://www.pewstates.org/uploadedFiles/PCS_Assets/2010/Collateral_Costs(1).pdf.

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shifting health care costs to the federal government, and freeing up funding for other city

priorities.

Strategy VII: Citywide Approach to Domestic Violence

“ As a father in public life, I think about the kind of world I want for my daughters. I

pledge to fight for a city, and a world, in which they are safe.”


As a son, husband, and a father of two daughters, Tony believes that addressing

domestic violence is more than a moral issue, it is a public health issue that

requires engagement and collaboration across city agencies. City government

must send a strong message to every Philadelphian that emotional and physical

abuse towards anyone, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, and ability will not be tolerated. As Mayor, Tony will lead that effort.

Tony will support funding for the Emergency Protection from Abuse program

In 2013, 2,550 individuals received relief through Emergency Protection from

Abuse petitions and another 2,200 received referrals for other services. As 19

Mayor, Tony will seek funding to continue this originally state-funded program to

provide relief for victims of domestic violence.

Tony will integrate domestic violence liaisons into city government agencies

Domestic violence liaisons are trained to identify difficult situations and take

appropriate action. Currently, domestic violence liaisons operate in the Office of

Supportive Housing, and the Police Department. As Mayor, Tony will expand

liaisons to the Departments of Public Health, Human Services, and Behavioral

Health and Intellectual Disabilities to improve screening and referral processes.

Tony will focus on building a culture of informed care to address domestic

violence and trauma through health and human service agencies As Mayor, Tony will appoint agency leaders that prioritize domestic violence and

trauma-informed care, and provide culturally competent training and resources to

support victims of domestic violence.

19 FY15 First Judicial District Budget Testimony, April 2014.

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Tony will advocate for expanded emergency housing and identification of safe

havens

Philadelphia’s 200-bed emergency housing capacity will not meet the 12,000 requests

Women Against Abuse received last year. As Mayor, Tony will direct city agencies to partner with the nonprofit sector and the philanthropic community to design innovative

responses to Philadelphia’s lack of emergency housing for domestic violence victims.

Tony has the experience and the skillset to position Philadelphia as the safest big city in

America. As a state legislator, Tony is fighting for safer neighborhoods free from the

scourge of gun violence. He fought for responsive and accountable leadership at the

Police Department, and more funding for cops on the beat. Achieving a safer One

Philadelphia will require cross-agency collaboration, and a multi-sector partnership to

reduce violent crimes, build police-community trust, and make every neighborhood safe

for kids and families. Most importantly, it requires a Mayor that can build consensus

around difficult issues, and lead with conviction. As Mayor, Tony will lead a diverse

coalition of leaders from the business, labor, nonprofit, law enforcement, and faith

communities to achieve his One Philadelphia vision in which every neighborhood is

safe.

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Senator Anthony Williams Public Safety Policy

Documents

Transcript of Senator Anthony Williams Public Safety Policy