Incarcerated individuals leaving the Cayuga County Jail will now be able to receive state-issued identification cards and licenses upon release.
County Clerk Sue Dwyer and Sheriff Brian Schenck made the announcement of a partnership between the Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Motor Vehicles for the initiative.
Equipment is now operational in the jail allowing for the issuance and updating of IDs. As IDs are needed for job applications, housing, and more, this will allow those leaving the jail to more easily reintegrate into society.
There is no cost to local taxpayers as it uses incarcerated individual commissary funding.
“Our Transition Coordinator, Custody Staff, and Community Partners are assisting many of those within our incarcerated population prepare to transition successfully back into our local community. This partnership with our local DMV and Clerk Sue Dwyer will further streamline our transition program and help give our incarcerated population the tools for successful re-entry, with the goal of reducing recidivism. I would like to thank Clerk Dwyer, her staff, our State DMV partners, and the men and women of our Sheriff’s Office for working so hard on this program and helping us to secure a safe community,” said Sheriff Brian Schenck.
County Clerk Sue Dwyer said, “We are extremely proud that the Cayuga jail is the first in County New York State to offer this initiative. The partnership between NYS DMV Commissioner Shroeder, our local Clerk’s Office, County Sheriff Schenck, Jail Transition Coordinator Michelle Applebee and the DMV Supervisor Peter Thomas was critical to this program’s success and implementation. Providing identification documents to people who are ready to leave incarceration is a great first step to success when released.”
NYS DMV Commissioner Mark J.F. Schroeder said, “Formerly incarcerated individuals face a lot of hurdles in their transition back into society, and something as important as a valid, photo ID should not be one of them. It’s needed for access to essential services, housing, employment and so much more. Providing these IDs to discharged individuals will help them rejoin the community as productive members and reduces the odds of returning to incarceration. Governor Kathy Hochul paved the way for these vital partnerships with a first-of-its-kind program between NYS DMV and the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, and I am so pleased to see similar programs taking shape at the local level. I applaud County Clerk Sue Dwyer and the Cayuga County Sheriff’s Office for their work on this initiative.”
