Bill > S07282

This bill aims to eliminate involuntary servitude and forced labor in New York state correctional facilities by amending the state's civil rights law and correction law. Specifically, the bill adds new sections to explicitly prohibit slavery, involuntary servitude, and forced labor for all individuals, including those convicted of crimes. It defines "adverse action" as including the use of institutional rules, regulations, and disciplinary processes that might coerce inmates into labor. The legislation ensures that no incarcerated individual in any correctional or local facility can be compelled or induced to provide labor against their will through force, threats, or potential negative consequences. By adding these provisions to state law, the bill seeks to prevent any form of mandatory work that is not truly voluntary, effectively ending practices that could be considered a modern form of slavery within the state's prison system. The bill will take effect immediately upon enactment and includes a severability clause to ensure that if any part of the law is found invalid, the rest of the legislation remains in force.

Housing and Urban Affairs

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S7282