This bill prohibits segregated confinement (solitary isolation) for three specific groups: juveniles under 21, individuals with mental illness or developmental disabilities, and those with permanent physical disabilities that substantially limit major life activities (like walking or seeing). It also requires the commissioner to publish quarterly reports on segregated confinement use, including related self-harm incidents. Facility rules must now specify that any segregated confinement sanction must be the minimum necessary duration for maintaining order. The law takes effect 180 days after enactment.
This bill prohibits prisons and jails from unjustly restricting in-person visits for incarcerated people. It requires facilities to allow at least two in-person visits per week and bans coercion to skip visits, while still permitting video calls as an extra option (not a replacement). Exceptions are allowed for safety reasons like misconduct or emergencies, as determined by corrections officials. The law directly affects incarcerated individuals and their families by protecting their right to regular face-to-face contact.
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.
Establishes the youth justice innovation fund to make funds available to community-based organizations for services and programs with the purpose of youth development and preventing youth arrest and incarceration.
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.
Prohibits the use of restraints on and the use of force against incarcerated individuals during labor and incarcerated individuals who have experienced different pregnancy outcomes, absent extraordinary circumstances, and on pregnant and post-pregnancy persons during a custodial interrogation; provides for certain exceptions for restraints to be used and in such case limits the use to wrist restraints.
This bill requires all state correctional facilities housing 100 or more inmates to include trained canines in their contraband screening plans specifically for detecting illegal drugs. Facilities must use leashed and controlled canines during screenings, as mandated by an amendment to the correction law. The policy applies immediately to all qualifying facilities, replacing previous screening methods with this canine-based requirement. It directly affects larger correctional facilities by adding a concrete, drug-focused screening mechanism to their security protocols.
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 (S 3796) allows individuals convicted of specific non-violent offenses to apply to have their court records expunged ("sealed"). It directly affects people with up to four eligible offenses (including traffic violations like Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1192.1, but excluding sex offenses, violent felonies, or certain other serious crimes) and no more than one felony conviction. Key provisions require a 10-year waiting period after sentence completion (excluding incarceration time), an application process with court forms, and court review - while denying requests for those with pending charges, prior sealing, or ineligible offenses. The bill aims to provide relief for qualifying individuals by removing certain convictions from public records.
This bill eliminates mandatory minimum prison sentences for certain offenses, replacing them with judicial discretion to determine appropriate sentences based on individual circumstances. It requires courts to provide written explanations for sentencing decisions and mandates that pre-sentence reports include analysis of incarceration costs to the state. Defendants gain expanded access to pre-sentence reports used in sentencing decisions, and judges must consider rehabilitation and community safety goals rather than fixed minimum terms. The law applies to felony sentencing under New York's penal and criminal procedure laws, directly affecting judges, defendants, and the state correctional system.
