**MEDIA ADVISORY**
December 17, 2025
Contact: Yonah Zeitz: 347-201-2768 yonah@katalcenter.org
Follow online: @katalcenter | #ShutRikers | shutrikers.org
Thursday, 12/18: Press Conference at City Hall Ahead of Vote on City Council Resolution Calling on Governor Kathy Hochul to Sign the Jail and Prison Oversight Bill into Law, Amid Multiple Crises and Chaos in Correctional Facilities Across NY
Faith and Community Groups, Directly Impacted People & Elected Officials Gather to Demand that Gov. Hochul Take Action to Increase Oversight by Overhauling the State Commission of Correction, the Failing Government Watchdog
New York, NY – Tomorrow, Thursday, December 18th, at 9:00 AM, people directly impacted by jails and prisons in New York, along with community and faith groups and elected officials, will hold a press conference on the steps of City Hall to demand that the City Council pass Resolution 734A which calls on Governor Kathy Hochul to immediately sign the Jail and Prison Oversight Omnibus Bill (S.8415 (Salazar)/A.8871 (Dilan) into law. The resolution is on Thursday’s stated meeting agenda.
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; at least 14 people died this year while incarcerated in city jails, and at least 47 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 that includes overhauling the government watchdog—the State Commission of Correction (SCOC). The SCOC has oversight authority over local jails and state prisons, including Marcy, Mid-State, and Rikers. Today, the SCOC held its December monthly meeting, and the public portion lasted less than ten minutes. The commission failed to mention or address the worsening conditions in correctional facilities across New York
A coalition of more than 160 community, advocacy, and faith-based organizations has called on Gov. Hochul to swiftly sign the Jail and Prison Oversight Omnibus Bill into law, to overhaul the State Commission of Correction. Gov. Hochul has until this Friday, December 19th, to sign the bill, but she has yet to take action on the legislation.
WHAT: Rally to Demand the City Council Pass Resolution Calling on Gov. Hochul to Sign the Jail & Prison Oversight Bill
WHEN and WHERE: Thursday, December 18th at 9:00 AM on the City Hall Steps (between Broadway and Park Row, New York, NY 10007).
WHO: Community Organizations, People Directly Impacted by Jails & Prisons, Faith-Based Groups, Elected Officials, Advocates, and More
WATCH LIVE ON INSTAGRAM: @katalcenter
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