This bill creates a New York state tax credit for employers who hire formerly incarcerated individuals on probation or parole. Employers receive a 35% credit against state taxes for the first $6,000 in wages paid to qualifying employees during their first year of employment. To qualify, an employee must have a felony conviction, be on probation or parole, and work full-time for at least 180 days. The credit coordinates with the federal Work Opportunity Tax Credit, using second-year wages for employees who also qualify for the federal program. The policy directly affects New York employers and formerly incarcerated individuals seeking stable employment.
Creates the office of the correctional ombudsperson to achieve transparency, fairness, impartiality and accountability in New York state correctional facilities; relates to reports by coroners; designates investigators of the office of the correctional ombudsperson as peace officers; authorizes the attorney general to investigate the alleged commission of any criminal offense committed by an employee of the department of corrections and community supervision in connection with their official duties; relates to the confidentiality of certain records; includes the office of the correctional ombudsperson records within the definition of public safety agency records; makes related provisions.
Relates to authorizing voting by incarcerated individuals in correctional facilities; requires the department of corrections and community supervision, in collaboration with the state and county boards of election, to establish a program to facilitate incarcerated individuals voter registration and voting.
Requires the use of risk and needs assessments in parole decisions; provides a process permitting incarcerated individuals to correct verifiable factual mistakes or errors in their risk and needs assessments or other non-confidential documents given the board prior to their appearances.
Relates to permitting an incarcerated individual who has had a final order of deportation issued against such incarcerated individual, has not been convicted of an A-1 felony and who is eligible for early release to receive a conditional release.
This bill modifies New York's parole decision process by updating the factors parole boards must consider. It requires boards to evaluate an incarcerated person's institutional record, release plans, victim input (including statements about post-sentencing threats), deportation status, sentence length, and prior criminal history. The bill replaces the term "inmate" with "incarcerated person" throughout the law and mandates toll-free victim access and written reports for victim statements. It takes effect immediately, focusing on concrete procedural changes to parole assessments.
S 4890 creates a new crime for incarcerated individuals who harass facility employees. It specifically prohibits: (1) displaying or touching intimate body parts in view of an employee, (2) causing an employee to be visible while doing so, or (3) threatening to expose bodily fluids. This applies to employees at correctional facilities, parole offices, mental health facilities, probation departments, or police officers. The offense is classified as a class B misdemeanor, punishable by fines or up to 90 days in jail.
Bill S 7972 allows victims of crimes to submit impact statements during parole revocation hearings for the individual who committed the crime. It amends current law to enable victims to provide written, audiotaped, or videotaped statements, or to meet personally with the presiding officer. Upon a victim's request, the department must inform them of the hearing details. If the presiding officer finds a parole violation, they must then inform the victim of their right to submit such a statement. This bill directly affects crime victims and individuals facing parole revocation.
This bill changes New York's parole process by requiring the state board of parole to consider specific factors before granting release. It mandates evaluation of rehabilitation efforts (like programs, therapy, and work assignments), release plans (including housing, jobs, and support services), and deportation status, while prohibiting decisions based mainly on victim statements or prior criminal records. Parole denials must include detailed written explanations, and the board must report quarterly to lawmakers with demographic data on denied cases (excluding individual identities). These changes aim to standardize parole decisions and increase transparency.
S 5291 eliminates the death penalty and life without parole as sentencing options for certain violent crimes, including murder. It replaces life without parole for murder in the first degree with a fixed prison term of 20 to 25 years, and changes sentences for murder in the second degree and aggravated murder to life imprisonment (which allows for parole eligibility after serving a portion of the sentence). The bill repeals specific provisions of the penal and correction laws that permitted these sentences and amends related sections to remove references to "life without parole" or the death penalty. This directly affects individuals convicted of serious violent offenses who would have faced these sentences under prior law.
