Bill > S01707

This bill creates the office of the correctional ombudsperson to achieve transparency, fairness, impartiality, and accountability in New York state and local correctional facilities. The bill establishes an independent office within the executive department, led by a full-time ombudsperson who will be nominated by a newly created 12-member correctional oversight board and appointed by the governor. The ombudsperson will have broad powers to investigate and oversee correctional facilities, including the ability to review policies, inspect facilities, interview staff and incarcerated individuals, access records, and investigate complaints. Key responsibilities include conducting periodic facility inspections, reviewing deaths of incarcerated individuals, monitoring internal affairs investigations, and producing annual public reports. The bill also designates the ombudsperson's investigators as peace officers and authorizes the attorney general to investigate criminal offenses committed by corrections employees under specific circumstances. The office will be independent but will receive administrative support from the executive department, and the ombudsperson can only be removed for good cause by a two-thirds vote of the oversight board. The bill aims to provide a robust, impartial oversight mechanism for New York's correctional system, with a focus on transparency and accountability.

Justice

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S1707