“Val was given Pepto-Bismol when she went to the nurse’s office. Pepto-Bismol for cancer.”
At a rally this month, family members and friends of Valerie Gaiter, widely known as Val, as well as campaigners gathered to demand better medical care for those incarcerated and more parole opportunities, especially for elderly populations.
Gaiter was the longest-serving woman in the New York state prison system until her death in 2019 from cancer at the age of 61. She spent 40 years behind bars, many at the Bedford Hills correctional facility, about 42 miles north of New York City and the largest women’s prison in the state.
Gaiter died while incarcerated, never securing parole despite her extensive volunteer work and having been a model resident in prison.
The cancer was an ailment largely overlooked and left untreated by prison staff, according to Gaiter’s loved ones. The illness left her severely malnourished, as swallowing became excruciating, and ultimately killed her.
“I didn’t even have the pleasure of seeing her close her brown eyes when she moved on. They told me after she was already dead,” said Sam Gaiter, Valerie’s older brother.
“Let our seniors go. They done went past the expiration date. Why do you still want them in there?” Sam Gaiter said.
In New York state, criminal reform efforts regarding parole have largely stalled amid panic that crime is on the rise, despite a complicated picture.
New York politicians, including the New York City mayor, Eric Adams, are calling for a rollback of crime reform laws amid a recent uptick, even as crime remains close to the lowest levels in decades.
The state governor, Kathy Hochul, has said she supports criminal justice reform, promising to fully staff the state’s parole board during her tenure and address human rights violations in the notorious Rikers Island jail.
But criminal justice advocates argue Hochul has routinely fallen through on promises, and that conditions for incarcerated people are worsening.
Incarcerated people are still disproportionately affected by contagious illnesses, including Covid-19 and monkeypox.
At least 10,885 incarcerated people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the state system as of 15 August and 44 have died.
Recent heatwaves throughout New York have also created life-threatening conditions for the incarcerated, and serious health emergencies are more likely amid substandard healthcare offered in jails and prisons.
“Prisons literally are killing people,” said Serena Martin-Liguori, executive director of the criminal justice non-profit New Hour.
Despite having a lower chance of recidivism, with reoffending rates declining as people age, many people over the age of 55 remain imprisoned in New York prison system into old age.
As of 2016, 10,140 people over the age of 50 were incarcerated in New York, almost 20% of the overall state prison system and a stark increase from the previous decade.
Martin-Liguori, a campaigner and friend of Gaiter’s who served time with her, added that New York state’s parole board process routinely rejects requests for release, even for those with noted good behavior and positive contributions.
Gaiter was denied parole in 2012 despite glowing recommendations from prison staff and participating in various programme, including training service dogs for veterans.
“I watched Val grow and mature,” said Judith Clark, who also served time with Gaiter, adding that her friend had earned a bachelor’s degree while she was incarcerated.
Other elderly women incarcerated in New York – suffer similar fates.
In her 20s, Gaiter and another young woman murdered an elderly couple in their Brooklyn apartment during a robbery, stabbing the pair multiple times.
But since the crime Gaiter has expressed remorse for her actions.
In a letter she wrote during the last year of her life, she said: “I was stupid, misled and not caring about others. That person is NO longer here or exists within me … The woman I am today would never behave so violently or angry towards another innocent human being as I did 39½ years ago.
“The impact of what I did and the pain I have caused their family will live with me for the rest of my life and forever be a reminder of what I was then and how I can never be again,” the letter continued.
Martin-Liguori appealed for more consideration of an individual’s redemption.
“They really don’t always take a look at how someone has transformed and all of the good things they’ve been able to do,” she said.
Martin-Liguori also argued that conditions in prison are inhumane, especially pertaining to medical care.
Elderly people who are incarcerated, particularly women, have higher rates of co-morbidities that can have serious health consequences, said Martin-Liguori, and incarcerated seniors cost the state more.
Those at the rally, and advocates beyond, have called on the state legislature to pass laws that increase parole opportunities.
The Fair and Timely Parole bill would offer parole to anyone eligible unless they pose a serious risk. And the Elder Parole bill gives those over 55 who have served at least 15 years a chance to apply for parole every two years.
But as both bills failed to pass in June, activists hope that bringing attention to Gaiter’s story and the circumstances of so many still incarcerated for decades will bring about much needed change.
“It’s about being a human being and basic human rights,” said Leah Faria, a speaker at the rally who served time with Gaiter.
“And if they can’t provide that to people on the inside, then they need to at least allow them and their loved ones to provide it to them on the outside.”
