S 5884 establishes a crisis intervention demonstration program in New York City and other cities with populations of one million or more. It requires the state mental health commissioner to create a coordinator position to train law enforcement officers on responding to mental health and substance abuse crises, while partnering with community mental health providers to offer alternatives to jail. The program will be funded through a new state fund (initially up to $1 million from the state general fund) and federal/private grants, with annual reporting on training participation and program effectiveness. This bill directly affects law enforcement agencies in large cities that choose to participate, as well as mental health service providers and individuals experiencing behavioral health crises.
Directs the commissioner of corrections and community supervision, in consultation with the commissioner of health and the commissioner of mental health, to develop a uniform electronic medical records system to be utilized by all correctional facilities in the state.
This bill (S 1819) ensures that urine test results from judicial diversion programs - where defendants avoid jail by completing treatment instead of facing criminal charges - are kept private and confidential. It directly affects individuals participating in these programs who undergo required drug testing as part of their court-ordered treatment. The law prohibits sharing test results with courts, prosecutors, or other parties without the defendant’s consent, and bans using positive results as evidence in future criminal cases. Treatment programs may still access results to support care, but the defendant’s privacy is protected from legal proceedings. The bill does not change testing requirements but safeguards the confidentiality of sensitive health information.
This bill requires courts to order certain first-time offenders convicted of alcohol or drug-related traffic offenses (like DUI) to attend and pay for approved rehabilitation programs as part of their sentence. It applies to individuals with no prior convictions for similar offenses, excluding those who participated in such programs within the past five years. Courts may deny participation for "good cause" (with documented reasons), and participants must complete the program to qualify for sentence termination, potentially ending any jail time imposed. The policy shifts sentencing focus from incarceration to treatment for eligible non-violent, first-time traffic violations involving alcohol or drugs.
Requires all incarcerated individuals who do not have a high-school diploma or its equivalent to receive a reading proficiency level assessment and dyslexia screening upon intake by the department of corrections; requires for such individuals who perform below a certain proficiency level to be provided with intervention services that are evidence-based, effective and consistent with science-based research specifically tailored to addressing dyslexia.
This bill makes it a crime to wear body armor while committing any offense involving a deadly weapon (like a firearm). It directly affects individuals who wear body armor during crimes involving weapons, creating a new offense separate from the underlying crime. The key provision requires courts to impose consecutive sentences for this new "unlawful wearing of body armor" offense, meaning the jail time for this specific act runs after the sentence for the original crime. The law applies to both misdemeanors and felonies committed with a deadly weapon while wearing body armor.
Relates to segregated confinement; provides that certain incarcerated individuals shall not be placed in a residential rehabilitation unit; makes related provisions.
Enacts the "correctional abuse accountability act"; requires actions by the department if a correctional officer seriously harms or is responsible for the death of an incarcerated individual.
Requires departmental security staff below the rank of captain who interact with the incarcerated population to wear a body camera while acting in the performance of their duties.
Relates to the health, safety and human rights of incarcerated pregnant individuals, incarcerated birthing parents and their children; requires the commissioner of corrections and community supervision to establish rules and regulations relating to conditions in institutions and correctional facilities and the treatment and care of birthing parents in such institutions and facilities.
