Criminal Justice

died · New York · Senate Jun 5, 2026

S 5138: Abolishes citizens arrests; repealer

S 5138 abolishes New York State's legal allowance for citizens to make arrests, removing a long-standing provision that permitted ordinary people to detain others under specific circumstances. The bill repeals key sections of the criminal procedure law and penal law that previously authorized citizens to use physical force to arrest individuals suspected of committing certain serious crimes (like murder or robbery) while they were fleeing. This change directly affects all New Yorkers who previously could legally make citizen arrests, replacing that authority with exclusive police powers for arrests. The bill does not alter police procedures or create new offenses, but removes a specific legal tool available to private individuals. It is currently pending in the Assembly after passing the Senate.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeRemoves citizens' arrest power to prevent potential civil rights violations during detentions, aligning with criminal justice reform protecting individual rights.92% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

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died · New York · Senate Jun 5, 2026

S 660: Relates to detaining persons for longer than twenty-four hours

Bill S 660 aims to regulate the detention of individuals by police officers and enhance transparency regarding their custody. It defines "without unnecessary delay" for detention as less than twenty-four hours from the time a person is taken into custody, requiring immediate release if this limit is not met. The bill also mandates that cities with a population of one million or more establish a searchable online registry of detained persons, showing their names, ages, and locations, with access limited to contracted defender organizations. Additionally, it establishes an evidentiary presumption in habeas corpus cases that pre-arraignment detention exceeding twenty-four hours is unlawful unless proven otherwise by clear and convincing evidence.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeRegulates police detention timelines and mandates public registry for transparency, enhancing accountability in criminal justice90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

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passed both · New York · Assembly Jun 4, 2026

A 11199: Enacts the "police radio transparency act"

Requires that any law enforcement agency in the state that encrypts any portion of its radio communications shall ensure that all of its radio communications, with the exception of sensitive information, may be monitored in real time by professional journalists, newscasters, and individuals employed by emergency services organizations.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill enhances police accountability by mandating transparency in radio communications for journalists and emergency services.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

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passed · New York · Senate Jun 1, 2026

S 9766: Relates to making technical corrections to ensure gender neutrality for the admission to practice law and preventing required disclosure of prior interaction with law enforcement or the criminal justice system

Relates to making technical corrections to ensure gender neutrality for the admission to practice law and preventing the character fitness questionnaire from inquiring into an applicant's prior interaction with law enforcement or the criminal justice system under certain circumstances.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill promotes criminal justice reform by removing barriers to legal practice and protecting applicant privacy regarding prior law enforcement interactions.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

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passed both · New York · Assembly Jun 1, 2026

A 4603: Establishes visiting policies for incarcerated individuals

Establishes visiting policies for incarcerated people, to provide incarcerated people opportunities for personal contact with relatives, friends, clergy, volunteers and other persons to promote better institutional adjustment and better community adjustment upon release.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill establishes visiting policies to promote rehabilitation and community adjustment upon release, directly supporting criminal justice reform through maintained family connections.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

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died · New York · Senate Jun 1, 2026

S 5037: Establishes visiting policies for incarcerated individuals

Establishes visiting policies for incarcerated people, to provide incarcerated people opportunities for personal contact with relatives, friends, clergy, volunteers and other persons to promote better institutional adjustment and better community adjustment upon release.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill promotes rehabilitation by enabling family/visitation to improve institutional adjustment and community reintegration, aligning with criminal justice reform indicators.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

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passed · New York · Senate May 29, 2026

S 626: Adds ammunition to the list of prohibited items to purchase or dispose of after certain convictions

This bill adds ammunition to the list of items prohibited from purchase or disposal after certain criminal convictions. It expands existing law that already bans firearm transactions for people barred from firearm possession due to prior convictions or disabilities. Now, individuals prohibited from owning firearms cannot legally buy or give away ammunition. Violating this provision would be classified as a class D felony.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeExpands restrictions on convicted individuals' access to ammunition, increasing criminalization and reducing defendant rights per bill's prohibition on ammunition transactions.92% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

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passed · New York · Senate May 12, 2026

S 56: Establishes a drug checking program

Establishes through the department of health a drug checking services program to allow individuals to bring drugs or controlled substances and have them tested for contaminants, toxic substances, or hazardous compounds; requires the department to establish public health surveillance of the unregulated drug supply; provides exemptions for participants in the drug checking program from certain controlled substance offenses.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeProvides exemptions from controlled substance offenses for drug checking participants, reducing criminalization and aligning with harm reduction reform in criminal justice.92% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareEstablishes public health surveillance for drug safety, reducing health risks from contaminants and aligning with harm reduction strategies in healthcare.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

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passed · New York · Senate May 6, 2026

S 319: Relates to educational leave for eligible incarcerated individuals

Provides that for the purposes of educational leave, an eligible incarcerated individual shall include an incarcerated individual who is within two years of being an eligible incarcerated individual.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill expands educational leave eligibility for incarcerated individuals, promoting rehabilitation and reducing recidivism - key aspects of criminal justice reform in corrections.90% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationExpands educational access for incarcerated individuals by extending eligibility for educational leave, aligning with 'educational access' under the topic description.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

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passed · New York · Senate May 5, 2026

S 1048: Requires public agencies to establish preliminary license application procedures to determine whether an applicant for a license would be ineligible for such license based on criminal history

Requires public agencies to establish preliminary license application procedures to determine whether an applicant for a license would be ineligible for such license based on criminal history; establishes time frames for public agencies to respond to such applications; requires public agencies to report information regarding granting licenses annually.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeMandates criminal history checks for license eligibility, potentially restricting opportunities for individuals with records, opposing reform efforts to reduce such barriers.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

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