Bill > S05823

This bill creates a temporary state commission to study local correctional facilities located outside of New York City, focusing on key issues such as medical and mental health care, overcrowding, inmate deaths, use of force, restraints, and solitary confinement practices. The commission will consist of 11 members, including representatives from existing correctional oversight agencies and nine additional members appointed by various state leaders, with a requirement that the governor-appointed members cannot be current elected officials or local correctional facility employees. The commission will have broad investigative powers, including unrestricted access to correctional facilities, the ability to conduct confidential interviews with inmates and staff, and access to facility documents (while respecting legal confidentiality restrictions). Commission members will serve without compensation but can receive expense reimbursement. The commission is mandated to hold public hearings in seven upstate cities and must issue periodic reports, with a comprehensive final report to be submitted to state leadership within three years. The bill is designed as a temporary measure, automatically expiring three years after its effective date, with the goal of examining and recommending improvements to local correctional facility practices and conditions.

Justice

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S5823