FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, December 18th, 2025
Contact: Yonah Zeitz: yonah@katalcenter.org • 347-201-2769
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New York City Council Passes Resolution Calling on Governor Kathy Hochul to Sign the Jail and Prison Oversight Bill into Law as Crisis and Chaos Spread in Jails and Prisons Across NY
With a Rising Death Toll at Rikers, and Following the Brutal Murders of Robert Brooks and Messiah Nantwi by Correctional Officers in State Prisons, Pressure Mounts on Gov. Hochul to Take Action
More Than 160 Community, Advocacy, and Faith-based Organizations Have Called on Gov. Hochul to Increase Oversight by Overhauling Failing Government Watchdog
New York, NY: 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. 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 incarcerated people this year died 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)—with oversight authority over local jails and state prisons, including Marcy, Mid-State, and Rikers. On Wednesday, 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. Today, a coalition of Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, and Muslim congregations and networks from across the state sent an interfaith letter to Governor Kathy Hochul urging her to immediately sign the bill without any changes.
Gov. Hochul has until this Friday, December 19th, to sign the bill, but she has yet to take action on the legislation.
Quotes from elected officials, community groups, and impacted community members:
Ziyadah Amatul-Matin, Member of the Katal Center, said: “My brother, Ramadan Mubarak Ibn Abdul-Mateen, died at Wende Correctional Facility after being denied the medical care he urgently needed and enduring abuse from correctional officers. If he’d received proper care, he would still be alive. As we mourn him, I fear for my incarcerated son’s safety, who is facing the same starvation, medical neglect, and violence. Our family’s trauma is not unique; families across New York are suffering. Robert Brooks and Messiah Nantwi were murdered in state prisons this past year. They should also be with us today. I call on Governor Kathy Hochul, from one mother to another, to sign the Jail and Prison Oversight Omnibus Bill.”
State Senator Julia Salazar, Chair of the Senate Committee on Crime Victims, Crime, and Correction, said: “New York’s prisons are in crisis, and the time for action is long overdue. Just over a year ago, correctional officers tortured and murdered Robert Brooks, and we know about his abhorrent killing only because of body-worn cameras that the officers mistakenly thought they had turned off. That sickening footage was a window onto the brutality that’s unfolding around the clock in our prisons, and it’s clarion call for dramatic reform. The omnibus bill both houses passed last spring will bring far greater transparency, oversight, and accountability to the prison system. It’s not all the reform we need, but it’s a necessary step in the right direction. I’m proud to lead on this legislation in the Senate, I thank all our partners for their tireless support, and we eagerly await the Governor’s signature. Let’s make the New Year a new day for ending violence in New York’s prisons.”
Assemblymember Emily Gallagher, said: “Assemblymember Emily Gallagher said, “It has been more than a year since Robert Brooks was murdered in state custody. We continue to see incarcerated people abused, neglected, denied medical treatment, and deprived of legally mandated programs and visitations. The Prison Oversight Omnibus bill will increase basic protections, transparency, and accountability for people incarcerated in state prisons and jails. I urge the Governor to sign it as it was drafted.”
Assemblymember Phara Souffrant Forrest, said: “New York’s jails and prisons have been violent and abusive toward incarcerated people for decades, with little to no accountability or oversight. From the murders of Robert Brooks and Messiah Nantwi in state prisons to dozens of deaths at Rikers Island, it’s clear that greater oversight and accountability are needed. We mourn these preventable deaths and know these people should still be with us today. The State Commission of Correction, the state’s independent watchdog, is supposed to protect the lives and dignity of people in our jails and prisons – but right now, it’s failing. I thank the City Council for passing this important resolution. If we’re serious about ending abuse and neglect in our jails, we need Governor Hochul to overhaul this commission and sign the oversight omnibus bill into law.”
Council Member Gale A. Brewer, said: ““The horrific deaths of Robert Brooks and Messiah Nantwi are devastating reminders of what happens when abuse is allowed to flourish behind closed doors. Their deaths expose a prison and jail system that lacks transparency, accountability, and meaningful independent oversight. In just the past year, deaths in correctional facilities have surged, and investigative reporting has revealed patterns of medical neglect and unchecked violence that demand urgent action. That is why Governor Hochul must immediately sign the Jail and Prison Oversight Omnibus Bill to remove limitations that stymie independent oversight and ensure that claims of abuse are taken seriously.”
Council Member Sandy Nurse, Chair of the New York City Council’s Committee on Criminal Justice, said: “Too often, bad corrections officers have been free to enact abuses on incarcerated New Yorkers with little avenues towards accountability. The safety of people in our custody is not only an issue that we have to contend with at the city level, but statewide. By advancing resolution 734A, the Council affirms the urgent need for transparency and independent oversight in New York State’s correctional facilities. In honor of those lost in our state prisons and city jails, action can no longer be pushed down the line.”
Council Member Alexa Avilés, said: “Our state’s prisons and jails significantly lack oversight or accountability. They have been plagued by heartbreaking systemic violence against incarcerated New Yorkers for far too long. Resolution 734A supports a basic common-sense oversight measure that would allow for more justice within our prison system. We cannot wait for this policy while people’s lives are on the line. I am proud to support this resolution and urge my colleagues in the Council to do the same.”
Kevin Valentine, Member of the Katal Center, said: “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 behind prison walls. 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 in state prisons exposed to the whole world what is happening in New York State correctional facilities. We cannot continue this way; it is simply cruel and inhumane. The State Commission on Correction (SCOC) needs to be doing a lot more in addressing and reforming these conditions. I thank the New York City Council for passing Resolution 734-A, joining the call to urge Governor Hochul to sign the jail & Prison Oversight Omnibus bill. This bill package includes legislation that would overhaul the SCOC.”
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.”
Michael McQuillan, Member of the Social Justice Committee at the Brooklyn Heights Synagogue, said: “Today’s Council Resolution testifies that the state’s jails and prisons are lethal settings. The Governor MUST sign the bill AS IS to enact all of its life-saving provisions.”
Husein Yatabarry, Executive Director, Muslim Community Network, said: “This bill is about accountability, transparency, and basic human dignity. When someone dies in custody, families deserve answers. Not delays, missing footage, or silence. Governor Hochul must sign the Prison Reform Omnibus Bill as is, without chapter amendments, and finally deliver real oversight and a Commission of Correction that can do its job.”
Nathan McLaughlin, Executive Director, NAMI New York State, said: “The State Commission of Correction plays a critical role in safeguarding the health and safety of people in New York’s correctional facilities, yet too often current oversight falls short—particularly for individuals living with mental illness. Senate Bill S.856 offers a thoughtful, necessary update to strengthen accountability, improve transparency, and ensure that correctional settings do not exacerbate mental health crises. NAMI New York State supports this legislation as an important step toward a more humane and responsible correctional system.”
Jeffery Davis, Member of the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice, said: “My experience while incarcerated mentally destroyed me. I watched a man beg for medical care and die because officers ignored him. I witnessed people being brutally abused with no accountability. While I was incarcerated at Auburn Correctional Facility, corruption among correctional officers ran unchecked in this maximum-security prison, and no one cared. To this day, I am still suffering from what I endured while incarcerated. It became so severe that I had to stop my partner from visiting because guards were emotionally abusing her as well. The time is now for Governor Hochul to sign into law the Jail & Prison Oversight Omnibus Bill.”
Gina Mitchell, Attorney in Charge of Law Reform and Policy at Brooklyn Defender Services, said: “There is a health and human rights crisis in our jails and prisons that has gone unaddressed for more than two decades. The Jail and Prison Oversight Omnibus Bill includes a comprehensive overhaul of the State Commission of Correction, which has failed to meet its mandate for far too long. The Commission is constitutionally obligated to ensure that all jails and prisons comply with minimum standards. Governor Hochul must sign this bill immediately to empower the Commission and give it the resources needed to demand transparency and accountability in our jails and prisons. But oversight alone is not enough—the life-threatening conditions at jails and prisons across New York State are shameful, and the Governor must also take urgent action to decrease the prison population.”
Sandy Bernabei, LCSW at Social Workers and Allies Against Solitary Confinement and with the support of the Antiracist Alliance, said: “It is imperative that you sign onto this bill. We must move in the direction of a Human Rights agenda for the people most powerless in our system, many are severely abused, tortured ,and even killed. Please sign this bill as a statement of your commitment to move NYS in the direction of humanity, and to be strong enough to stand up to the increasing and never-ending demand for punishment over reform.”
Dr. Shakira Kennedy, LMSW, NASW NY Executive Director, said: “Prison oversight of Rikers Island and other NYS prisons is a human rights necessity. The unethical conditions of Rikers and other prisons has led to increasing loss of life in recent years. Social workers abide by the NASW Code of Ethics to ensure that justice-involved individuals are treated with respect and decency. City Council we urge you to pass resolution 734-A, which calls on Governor Kathy Hochul to sign the Omnibus Correction Oversight Bill S.8415 (Salazar)/A.8871 (Dilan) to help solve this crisis”.
Glory Gibson, Member of the Katal Center, said: “Every day there is a new story that comes out exposing how terrible the conditions are in New York State jails and prisons. I worry daily about my brother’s safety, who is detained at Rikers Island. When I speak to him, he informs me that they aren’t feeding him properly or that the food is cold. It is shameful that the basic needs of our incarcerated loved ones are not being met. Every day that he remains at Rikers, he is at risk of losing his life. The violence and deaths at Rikers have been increasing under the Adams administration. I urge Governor Hochul to sign the Jail & Prison Oversight Omnibus Bill. New York families deserve to know that their incarcerated loved ones are being protected and cared for.”
Messiah Ramkissoon, Associate Executive Director at the Youth Justice Network, said: “Rikers Island does not reform but rather multiplies the insidious wounds, traumas and dysfunction of men and women birthed into condition they did not create. The solution in not in the punishment but rather the healing.”
Donna Hylton, founder and president of A Little Piece of Light, said: “Like many of our members at A Little Piece of Light, I’ve been incarcerated at Rikers and in State prison. I’ve experienced firsthand the awful conditions, the violence, the disregard for human life. But these experiences weren’t unique. Everyone incarcerated across the state faces horrific conditions. And all too often, certain populations, like women, LGBTQ people, gender variant people, and young people, are targeted for particularly heinous violence and abuse. That is why we must overhaul the failing State Commission of Correction to ensure greater accountability and oversight. We’re demanding that Governor Kathy Hochul immediately sign the Jail and Prison Oversight Omnibus Bill (S.8415 (Salazar)/A.8871 (Dilan) into law without any changes. We implore you to listen to directly impacted people, community groups, and now the City Council. There is simply no time to waste.”
Anthony Maund, Member of the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice: “It has been over a year since Robert Brooks was brutally beaten to death by correctional officers at Marcy prison. I feel so deeply for this loss and send my condolences to all of the families who have lost a loved one under the custody of the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. I know what it’s like to fear for your life while incarcerated. I’ve had correctional officers use excessive force on me, and I filed many grievances that were left unanswered. There is absolutely no accountability behind bars in prison for Correctional Officers who abuse their power, and because of it there are so many incarcerated people who end up dead. The time is now for incarcerated people and their families to have an independent jail & prison watchdog that does fulfill their constitutional mandate of keeping correctional facilities in “safe, stable, and humane” conditions. Governor Hochul must sign the Jail & Prison Oversight Bill to overhaul this dormant commission.”
Shureen Harris, member of the Katal Center, said: “My brother-in-law is currently incarcerated, and families like mine cannot wait any longer. Incarcerated People in New York are being denied care and exposed to horrific violence every day. That’s why Governor Hochul must sign the Jail & Prison Oversight Omnibus Bill into Law to overhaul the State Commission of Correction (SCOC). The SCOC is an Independent government watchdog with authority over jails & prisons across New York. Our families deserve real oversight and an end to the ongoing crisis in our jails and prisons. Governor Hochul, sign the bill now!”
Melanie Dominguez, organizing director of the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice, “We thank Council Member Brewer, Council Member Nurse, and the New York City Council for passing Resolution 734A, calling on Governor Kathy Hochul to immediately sign the Jail and Prison Oversight Omnibus Bill (S.8415 (Salazar)/A.8871 (Dilan) into law.
For decades, people incarcerated in New York’s jails and prisons, including our members and their loved ones, have suffered from medical neglect, abuse, violence, and death. The murders of Robert Brooks and Messiah Nantwi in state prisons and the nearly 50 deaths in NYC jails under Mayor Adams underscore the worsening conditions in correctional facilities across the state. For decades, the State Commission of Correction (SCOC), the independent government watchdog with authority over local jails and state prisons, has failed to fulfill its constitutional mandate. Right now, legislation to increase jail and prison oversight, including reforming the SCOC, awaits Gov. Hochul’s signature. The governor should immediately sign this bill into law without any changes.”
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