Creates within SUNY an office of higher education in prison to coordinate access to higher education for individuals during and after incarceration; directs such office to create a plan by 1/1/2029 to establish a degree-granting program in every viable correctional facility in the state; directs such office to enroll at least 2,000 students in degree-granting programs as soon as practicable; makes related provisions.
Requires the New York city department of corrections and the New York city health and hospitals corporation to adopt safety policies to protect health care workers who treat incarcerated individuals.
Limits retaliation against incarcerated individuals following the filing of a grievance, by requiring more than the oral or written statement of the subject of a grievance filed by an incarcerated individual for the purposes of finding such incarcerated individual guilty at an evidentiary or disciplinary hearing for misbehavior.
Bill S 3511 proposes to increase the maximum possible prison sentence for individuals convicted of Class A and unclassified misdemeanors. It amends the penal law to change the maximum definite sentence for these crimes from 364 days to one year. The bill also repeals a specific subdivision within the penal law related to misdemeanor sentencing. This change would allow courts to impose slightly longer jail terms for these particular offenses.
Relates to the provision of breast pumps and related collection and storage materials to certain incarcerated nursing birth parents who are confined in or committed to an institution or local correctional facility with or without their child subject to specific time limitations; requires institutions and local correctional facilities to provide pumps and related materials to such incarcerated birth parents; requires the commissioner of corrections and community supervision to issue an annual report on data relating to incarcerated birth parents.
Protects the rights of people in prisons, jails and forensic facilities; limits the use of cell or segregated confinement; grants access to tablets, visitation, and certain items.
This bill increases penalties for predatory sexual assault against children in New York. It sets a minimum 25-year prison sentence and a maximum of life imprisonment for this specific crime (defined under Penal Law §130.96), replacing previous sentencing ranges. Offenders convicted under this provision will also face lifetime parole supervision by the state parole board after release. The law directly affects individuals convicted of this serious felony, aiming to ensure longer incarceration and ongoing oversight.
This bill makes it a serious felony to intentionally deface, damage, or destroy protected fine art or historical monuments, such as statues, plaques, buildings, or relics. It applies to anyone who damages such property without legal right, including works covered under New York's arts law. Offenders face a minimum 3-year prison sentence and must pay full restitution to cover the property's value. The law also explicitly includes this crime in bail eligibility rules for other offenses involving property harm.
This bill changes the penalty for rape in the first degree from a class B felony to a more serious class A-II felony. It applies to all situations covered under current law, including cases involving forcible compulsion, victims unable to consent due to physical helplessness, or victims under 11 or 13 years old (with additional age requirements for the perpetrator). The key change is the upgrade in felony classification, which typically results in longer prison sentences. This policy shift directly affects individuals convicted of first-degree rape under New York's penal code. The bill does not alter the definition of the crime itself, only the severity of the punishment.
This bill increases the state commission of correction from 3 to 9 members. It specifies that 3 members are appointed by the governor (with Senate confirmation), 2 by the Assembly speaker, 2 by the Senate Temporary President, and 2 by the Correctional Association. The commission must now include at least one person formerly incarcerated in a New York correctional facility, a public health professional, a behavioral healthcare professional, an attorney with criminal defense or prisoner rights expertise, and others deemed beneficial. The bill also sets term lengths and removal procedures for commission members.
