This bill directs New York's Office of Mental Health, in collaboration with Corrections and Community Supervision, to study how abuse experienced during incarceration affects the mental, behavioral, and physical health of formerly incarcerated individuals. The study must identify both short-term and long-term impacts, associated costs, and recommend effective treatment practices. The Office of Mental Health must submit a final report to state leaders within one year of the bill's effective date.
Relates to required notification of an incarcerated individual's emergency contacts when such incarcerated individual experiences a serious medical event; provides that incarcerated individuals and their representatives shall have the right to access such incarcerated individual's medical records; provides requirements for access to such medical records; requires the department of corrections and community supervision to collect data on medical incidents and response times, and to publish an annual report detailing such data.
Establishes a digital legal mail program for the delivery of privileged correspondences to incarcerated individuals housed at correctional facilities; requires law offices sending legal mail via digital platforms to incarcerated individuals to register with the department of corrections.
Enacts the "gender identity respect, dignity and safety act"; relates to the treatment and placement of incarcerated individuals based upon gender identity; requires that incarcerated individuals in state and local correctional facilities who have a gender identity different from their assigned sex at birth be addressed and have access to commissary items, clothing and other materials that are consistent with the person's gender identity; establishes that incarcerated individuals shall be presumptively placed in a correctional facility with persons of the gender that most closely aligns with such person's self-attested gender identity unless the person opts out of such placement.
Bill S 8106 establishes an independent Office of Chief Medical Examiner within the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. This office will investigate all deaths occurring in correctional facilities, directly affecting individuals who die while in custody. The Chief Medical Examiner and their team, all certified forensic pathologists, will conduct independent autopsies and forensic investigations for these deaths. The office is also required to publish public annual reports detailing incarcerated individual deaths and preliminary death reports within 90 days of a death. Copies of these reports will be delivered to the appropriate district attorney, attorney general, commissioner, and legislature.
Requires the commissioner of corrections and community supervision to permanently terminate the conjugal visit program, commonly known as the family reunion program; directs such commissioner to prohibit the establishment of any program designed to provide selected inmates and their families the opportunity to privately meet for an extended period of time.
Bill A 6407 establishes a crisis intervention demonstration program in New York City (population over 1 million) to train law enforcement officers to respond to mental health and substance abuse crises. The program creates a dedicated coordinator position within the Office of Mental Health, who will develop partnerships with law enforcement, mental health providers, and community groups to provide specialized training for first responders. It also sets up a $1 million state-funded "Crisis Intervention Team Training Fund" (supported by federal grants and private donations) to cover training and community coordination costs, requiring annual reports on program implementation and funding use. The bill directly affects NYC police, mental health service providers, and individuals experiencing mental health crises, aiming to provide alternatives to incarceration through coordinated community responses.
Provides for the creation and maintenance of digital records for each incarcerated individual which includes all medical records, including but not limited to mental health records and results of drug or alcohol tests, work records and evaluations, conduct records and programming records.
Relates to enacting "Sahim's law"; allows family members to bring civil actions on behalf of incarcerated individuals; establishes certain confidentiality requirements regarding civil actions brought against correction facility staff by or on behalf of incarcerated individuals.
This bill requires drivers pleading guilty to a basic impaired driving offense (subdivision one) to complete an alcohol or drug rehabilitation program, unless the court waives this requirement due to prior screening or assessment requirements. It increases fines for repeat offenses: a second offense within five years carries $500-$750, and a third offense within ten years is punishable by up to 180 days in jail or $1,500. The law applies to all drivers charged with impaired driving under New York's vehicle and traffic law and takes effect immediately.
