New York City Council Passes Resolution 734-A, calling on Gov. Hochul to sign the Jail & Prison Oversight Omnibus Bill
Our member Ziyadah Amatul-Matin speaking at our rally on the steps of City Hall, 12.18.25
This evening, the New York City Council overwhelmingly passed 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. We issued this press release with quotes from our members, community, advocacy, and faith groups, and elected officials in response to the passage of the resolution.
This morning, we held a rally on the steps of City Hall demanding that the City Council pass Resolution 734A. Speakers at this morning’s rally called on the City Council to pass the resolution and for Gov. Hochul to immediately sign the Jail and Prison Oversight Omnibus bill into law without any changes. Speakers at the rally included our member Ziyadah Amatul-Matin, City Council Gale Brewer, City Council Alexa Aviles, the Youth Justice Network, Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York, A Little Piece of Light, Families & Friends of the Wrongfully Convicted, American Friends Service Committee NY, Youth Justice Network, and the Muslim Community Network. You can watch the rally here.
With one day left for Governor Hochul to sign the Jail and Prison Oversight Omnibus Bill that includes overhauling the government watchdog—the State Commission of Correction (SCOC), we’re keeping the pressure on the governor to immediately sign the bill without any changes.
Organizing to get Gov. Hochul to Sign the Jail and Prison Oversight Bill
Our member Jeffrey Davis speaking outside of Governor Hochul’s NYC Office, 12.9.25
We have a real chance to win meaningful oversight and save lives — but only if we act now!
Governor Hochul has until tomorrow, Friday, December 19, to sign the Jail & Prison Oversight Omnibus bill. Negotiations are now underway between the governor and the legislature about the bill. The Governor is attempting to weaken the bill. We’re making this last push to get Governor Hochul to do right by our communities and sign the bill. You can send Governor Hochul a message now to demand that she sign the bill as is.
Today, to keep the pressure on the governor, we worked with a coalition of Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, and Muslim congregations and networks from across the state to send an interfaith letter to Governor Kathy Hochul urging her to immediately sign the Jail and Prison Oversight Omnibus Bill (S. 8415 – Salazar / A.8871 – Dilan) into law without any changes. Check out our press release about the interfaith letter.
On Wednesday, the State Commission of Correction (SCOC) – an independent oversight agency with a constitutional mandate to ensure that local jails and state prisons are “safe, stable, and humane” – held its December monthly meeting. As jails and prisons across the state remain in crisis, the SCOC has consistently failed to meet its responsibilities. It’s shameful that the public portion of today’s meeting lasted less than ten minutes. It’s disgraceful that the commissioners do nothing while incarcerated people die from abuse and medical neglect. Check out the press release we released in response to Wednesday’s monthly SCOC meeting.
And last week, on the first anniversary of the murder of Robert Brooks, we held a rally outside of Governor Kathy Hochul’s New York City Office to demand she immediately sign the Jail and Prison Oversight Omnibus Bill into law. Check out the press release and photos from last week’s rally.
Thank you to everyone who joined us to take action in the final stretch to get the oversight bill across the finish line.
If you have any questions about our organizing efforts to overhaul the SCOC, please contact Yonah at Yonah@katalcenter.org.
Thursday, Jan 15: Webinar on Rikers Island and Mental Health with the Data Collaborative for Justice
On Thursday, January 15th, at 1 pm, we’re holding a webinar via Zoom with the Data Collaborative for Justice at John Jay: Rikers Island and Mental Health: Data, Lived Experience, and Community-Based Alternatives.
As New York City works toward its mandate to close Rikers Island, addressing the mental health needs of people in the jail system remains a defining challenge—and a critical opportunity for reform. The webinar will discuss our recent report, Rikers Island and Mental Health: Pathways Toward Community-Based Diversion and Jail Population Reduction.
RSVP here to join us on Thursday, January 15th.
This one-hour session will cover:
- Updated data on the nature & scale of mental health needs among people detained at Rikers
- First-person accounts that reveal the human impact of inadequate mental health care while detained
- Key policy recommendations, including a 15-point plan to strengthen community treatment and reduce unnecessary detention.
The session will include Q&A, and we encourage attendees to submit questions in advance!
If you have any questions about the Rikers Island and Mental Health Report, please contact Yonah at Yonah@katalcenter.org.
January NY Statewide Criminal Justice Reform Call
Our next NY Statewide Criminal Justice Reform Call is Thursday, January 8th, at noon! This will be our first call of the new year and the start of the 2026 legislative session in Albany. We’ll process what criminal justice bills were signed at the end of the year, discuss the 2026 legislative session, and various campaigns to reform New York’s criminal legal system. We’ll be joined by organizers, advocates, and community members working on every aspect of justice reform in the state.
Register to join us Thursday, December 8th, from noon to 1 p.m.
If you have any questions about the statewide call or would like to be a presenter, please contact Yonah at Yonah@katalcenter.org.
Inspiring Resistance This Week
– Faith leaders staged a mass protest by chaining themselves together, blocking the entrance at San Francisco immigration courthouse and interrupting ICE arrests. See more details here.
– In NYC, Rise and Resist created a block party outside of Trump Tower, demanding an end to Trump’s cruel ICE agenda. See more details here.
For more examples of resistance, check out Choose Democracy’s Resist List!
Quotes of the Week
“I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.” — Rosa Parks
“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” — Nelson Mandela
“We are volcanoes. When we women offer our experience as our truth, as human truth, all the maps change. There are new mountains.” —Ursula K. Le Guin
For printing and distribution, download the Katal Weekly Update PDF version.
Katal develops intergenerational leadership and organizing capacity to build community-based power and win systemic change for equity, health, and justice.
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Email: info@katalcenter.org
Phone: 646.875.8822.