New York state lawmakers and advocates rallied for parole reforms at the Capitol on Wednesday.  

Advocates are calling for passage of both the elder parole bill and fair and timely parole bills.

Elder parole legislation would make anyone over the age of 55 who served 15 years in prison eligible for a parole hearing. It does not guarantee release. 

Opponents to the bill have pushed for stricter parole standards and raised public safety concerns. 

"If we really believed in true economic justice, we would not waste all this money imprisoning folks until their last years of life. They should not finish their lives in a prison cell," said state Assemblyman Tony Simone, a Democrat from Manhattan.

"If you release the same elders that gave me the information and the confidence to come out here to do this work now, are the same ones that are still in there so if they're out in this community, trust me they can do the work," said rapper Shyheim Franklin, who was once incarcerated.