FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, December 4th, 2025
Contact: Yonah Zeitz: yonah@katalcenter.org • 347-201-2769
Follow on socials @KatalCenter • #ShutRikers #CutShutInvestNY
Coalition of More Than 150 Community, Advocacy, and Faith-based Organizations Demand Governor Hochul Sign the Jail and Prison Oversight Omnibus Bill Into Law
Recent Investigations by the New York Times and The Marshall Project Reveal Gross Medical Neglect and Widespread Abuse in NY Prisons, Spurring Calls for Greater Oversight and Accountability
New York, NY: Yesterday, more than 150 community, advocacy, and faith-based organizations sent a letter to Governor Kathy Hochul urging her to swiftly sign the Jail and Prison Oversight Omnibus Bill (S. 8415 – Salazar / A.8871 – Dilan) into law. Support for signing this critical legislation continues to grow as individuals and organizations across the state demand action in response to the crises unfolding in local jails and state prisons under the Hochul Administration.
The coalition of groups represented here has come together to support Section H of the Omnibus bill, which reforms the State Commission of Corrections. Our groups come from across the state, including Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany, the Hudson Valley, NYC, Long Island, and more. They represent a diversity of sectors, constituencies, and perspectives, including faith-based groups (Christian, Jewish, and Muslim organizations), unions, academic institutions, re-entry providers, legal groups, mental and physical health care organizations, immigrant rights organizations, LGBTQ+ groups, small businesses, youth organizations, and more.
The brutal killings of Robert Brooks and Messiah Nantwi at Marcy and Mid-State prisons underscore the violence and abuse incarcerated people face in New York State’s prison system. Local jails are no better.In NYC, the crisis at Rikers is also worsening. This year, at least 13 people have died in city jails, and at least 46 people have died in DOC custody since Eric Adams became mayor in 2022.
In June, the New York Legislature passed a Jail and Prison Oversight Omnibus Bill, S.8415 (Salazar)/A.8871 (Dilan), that includes overhauling the government watchdog—the State Commission of Correction—with authority over local jails and state prisons, including Marcy Mid-State, and Rikers. But Gov. Hochul has yet to take action on the legislation.
Quotes from the organizations featured in the letter:
Kevin Valentine, member of the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice: “The conditions in New York State prisons and jails are life-threatening and have been this way for decades. As someone who has been through the system, I can tell you that there is no form of rehabilitation for incarcerated individuals. People are subjected to arbitrary punishment that is in direct violation of their constitutional rights. The brutal killings of Robert Brooks and Messiah Nantwi at the hands of Correctional Officers are gut-wrenching examples of this worsening crisis. We cannot continue this way; it is simply cruel and inhumane.
Governor Hochul has a moral responsibility to ensure that incarcerated people are not being beaten to death. People’s lives are in danger, and Governor Hochul has been sitting idly by since June of this year, when the legislature passed the Jail and Prison Oversight Omnibus Bill S.8415 (Salazar)/A.8871 (Dilan). This omnibus bill consists of ten oversight and accountability bills. Section H of the omnibus bill includes legislation to overhaul the State Commission of Correction to ensure it meets its mandate of maintaining jails and prisons across the state in ‘safe, stable, and humane conditions.’ Governor Hochul must urgently sign this bill into law!”
Sharon McLennon Wier, Ph.D., MSEd., CRC, LMHC, Executive Director of CIDNY, said: “The Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York (CIDNY) supports the immediate overhaul of the SCOC and calls for Governor Hochul to sign the oversight bill into law as soon as possible. CIDNY recognizes that residents with disabilities housed at Rikers Island should receive their disability-related accommodations. This is what the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and its corresponding Amendments Act of 2008 stated. Regardless of your address/zip code, all Americans with disabilities must receive access to humane care and services needed to address their disability.”
The Dismantling Racism Team of Congregation Beth Elohim, said: “The State Commission on Correction must be able to undertake it’s oversight of prisons and jails. It must ensure that all local jail and state prisons are ‘safe, stable and humane.’ From Marcy prison to Rikers Island, correctional facilities are in crisis and need an effective, functioning watchdog. Jewish tradition teaches us that to save a single life, it is as if one has saved an entire world. To save lives and worlds, Governor Hochul must sign the SCOC and Omnibus Bill as soon as possible.”
Husein Yatabarry, Executive Director of the Muslim Community Network, said: “Across New York, incarcerated people are facing conditions that violate basic human dignity, and the State Commission of Correction has failed to protect them for far too long. Muslim Community Network stands with more than 150 organizations calling on Governor Hochul to sign the Corrections Omnibus Bill into law. Expanding and diversifying the SCOC is a critical step toward real accountability and ensuring that every jail and prison in this state is safe, stable, and humane. Our communities cannot wait any longer for meaningful oversight.”
Denise Murphy McGraw, National Co-Chair of Catholics for Common Good, said: “Catholics for Common Good urges Governor Hochul to sign the prison oversight reforms the Legislature prioritized back in June,” said Denise Murphy McGraw, National Co-Chair and New York resident. “This omnibus bill is the next step toward ending human suffering, restoring dignity behind prison walls, and providing some peace of mind for families.”
Serena Martin, Executive Director of New Hour for Women and Children, said, “New Hour urges the needed reforms of the New York State Commission of Correction. As we approach the one-year anniversary of Robert Brooks’ death, it is devastating that almost no reforms have been implemented — and it is exactly why we need stronger, independent oversight. The Corrections Oversight Omnibus Bill is a common-sense measure that will provide transparency. We urge Governor Hochul to sign this bill as-is to help prevent another tragedy, bring justice to the Brooks family and protect the dignity and lives of all.”
Nicole Capozziello, with Social Workers & Allies Against Solitary Confinement, said: “As Social Workers & Allies Against Solitary Confinement, we are dedicated to supporting people who have been impacted by the criminal legal system. We believe that the Omnibus Bill, particularly the overhaul of the SCOC, would be a much-needed step towards making our correctional facilities safer, healthier, and more just and ask that Governor Hochul sign it into law immediately.”
Dr. David Z. Simpson, h.c. & Anna Sugrue, Co-Founders & Co-Directors of The Remedy Project, said: “The Remedy Project supports the full overhaul of the State Commission of Correction because the current system was built on a mindset that treats incarcerated people as less than human. Oversight without accountability is not oversight at all, and for decades, the SCOC has allowed abuse, neglect, and death to continue behind closed doors. Gov. Hochul must sign the omnibus bill into law to ensure that New York finally replaces the old punishment mindset with a system rooted in transparency, human dignity, and real protection for the people in state custody. Every life behind those walls deserves the full protection of the law.”
Yonah Zeitz, advocacy director of the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice: “We’re grateful for the 150-plus organizations that we’ve organized with across the state over the last two years to overhaul the State Commission of Correction (SCOC) and increase oversight of jails and prisons. This diverse group of organizations has come together because for too long, incarcerated people in New York’s jails and prisons have suffered abuse, violence, and medical neglect. Time and time again, the SCOC, the state’s independent government watchdog, with authority over local jails and state prisons, has utterly failed at its responsibility to keep incarcerated people safe. Recent investigations from the New York Times and The Marshall Project show how the SCOC is in dire need of an overhaul. Right now, there is legislation to increase jail and prison oversight, including reforming the SCOC, that awaits Gov. Hochul’s signature. The governor should immediately sign this bill into law.”
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