With days left in session, state democrats move on prison reform package
Written by Briana Supardi at CBS 6 Albany
6/10/2025
With just days left in the legislative session, New York lawmakers are
making a final-hour push to advance a sweeping prison reform bill aimed at improving safety,
transparency and oversight inside the state’s correctional facilities.
An omnibus bill was introduced late Monday night, bundling several proposals into a single
legislative package. The move comes amid mounting pressure from advocates following the
recent in-custody deaths of Robert Brooks and Messiah Nantwi—cases that have intensified
concerns about abuse and accountability within the state’s prison system.
“Across New York, incarcerated people are experiencing horrible violence, medical neglect, and
in many cases, they are being killed by this cruel criminal justice system,” said Melanie
Dominguez with the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice.
The omnibus bill adopts key measures including:
- Installation of 24/7 fixed surveillance cameras with no blind spots and comprehensive coverage throughout state prisons and jails
- A requirement to share video footage related to an inmate’s death with the state Attorney General’s Office
- Mandatory public disclosure of in-custody deaths and notifying next-of-kin within 24 hours
- Expanded autopsy reporting, including the release of photos, X-rays and microscopic slides
- Expanding the New York State Commission on Correction (SCOC) from three to nine members
- Requiring the SCOC to conduct a comprehensive study on deaths that occur in-custody to provide data-driven insights and recommendations to improve prison conditions
Assembly member Emily Gallagher (D-Brooklyn), whose bill to restructure the oversight
commission is part of the package, said the legislation marks a meaningful step forward.
“I think it is going to move the ball forward in our ability to fight the violence in the prison
system,” Gallagher said.
But the omnibus bill stops short of addressing parole or sentencing reform—an omission that
drew criticism from some supporters.
“I do think that if we play our cards right, there might be an opportunity next year to do that,”
Gallagher said.