FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, April 29th, 2026
Contact: Yonah Zeitz: yonah@katalcenter.org • 347-201-2769
Follow on socials @KatalCenter • #ShutRikers #CutShutInvestNY
At Today’s Monthly Meeting, the State Commission of Correction Again Fails to Meaningfully Address the Crisis Unfolding in Jails and Prisons Across New York
With the May 9th Effective Date for Last Year’s SCOC Reforms Quickly Approaching, Gov. Hochul Must Appoint Reform-Oriented Commissioners to the SCOC
Albany, NY: This morning, the State Commission of Correction (SCOC), the government watchdog agency with authority over local jails and state prisons held its monthly meeting. The public portion of the meeting lasted less than 20 minutes, and the Commission failed to address the crisis unfolding at Rikers Island, Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, and other jails and prisons across New York.
The SCOC is mandated with the constitutional authority to ensure that correctional facilities across New York – all local jails and state prisons – are “safe, stable, and humane.” The SCOC’s wide-ranging authority includes the power to shut down any correctional facilities (including Rikers) for consistently violating the rights of incarcerated people.
Last year, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed into law the Jail and Prison Oversight Omnibus Bill, which includes overhauling the State Commission of Correction. This reform expands the number of commissioners and requires a diversity of background. Here are the new requirements:
- The Commission is expanded from three to five members. The two new members are part-time; they hold full voting rights on the commission.
- To expand the diversity of perspectives and experiences for the commissioners, there are new requirements.
- At least one commissioner (full-time or part-time) must be a formerly incarcerated individual.
- At least one commissioner (full-time or part-time) must be a healthcare professional; an attorney with a background in indigent criminal defense, prisoner’s rights litigation or experience as a legal policy professional with experience related to the rights of incarcerated individuals; or a professional with experience in any other field deemed relevant to the promotion of an efficient, humane, and lawful correctional system.
While these reforms have yet to be implemented, the commission continues to fail its oversight responsibilities. The effective date for the two new part-time commissioners is May 9, 2026.
Statement from elected officials, directed impacted people and community group:
Assemblymember Emily Gallagher, said: “The State Commission of Correction is statutorily the most powerful correctional oversight body in New York State, and it has a responsibility to protect incarcerated New Yorkers. Our prisons and jails are in crisis. We are still seeing record numbers of deaths, including suicides. People are still unable to access mandated programs and life-sustaining visits. The SCOC can and must play a role in correcting these conditions and protecting the lives, dignity, and health of incarcerated people. I urge the Governor to finish the oversight reform she started when she signed the omnibus bill last year, and appoint reform-minded commissioners who will act with the well-being of incarcerated people as a guiding principle.”
Ziyadah Amatul-Matin, member of the Katal Center, said: “My brother Ramadhan died while incarcerated at Wende Correctional Facility due to horrific violence at the hands of Correctional Officers and medical neglect. He should still be here today with our family. The brutal killings of Robert Brooks and Messiah Nantwi, who were beaten to death, sent shocks across the nation, exposing how terrible conditions are in state prisons. Their deaths were very personal to my family, as we understood the grief their families were going through. It is unacceptable that the State Commission of Correction has been failing to meet its constitutional mandate of keeping jails and prisons across the state in safe, stable, and humane conditions. Had they been doing their job, my brother, Robert Brook, Messiah Nantwi, and many others could have still been with us today. Governor Hochul now has a responsibility of appointing reform-oriented commissioners who will work towards addressing the life-threatening conditions in state prisons.”
Sharon McLennon Wier, Ph.D., MSEd., CRC, LMHC, Executive Director of CIDNY, said: “The Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York (CIDNY) advocates that Governor Hochul ensures that the SCOC fulfill its mandate to provide for the human rights for all incarcerated people living in jails and prisons in New York State. It is a human right for people with disabilities to have disability-specific accommodations, safety, and well-being while incarcerated in jails and prisons in New York State.”
Jeannette Bocanegra, Executive Director of the Justice for Families, said: “For years, Justice for Families has led with an unwavering commitment to dignity, safety, and humanity for all people impacted by incarceration. Today, that commitment demands urgency. What is happening across New York, from Rikers Island to Bedford Hills and facilities statewide, makes clear that the State Commission of Corrections must fully uphold its mandate to protect the safety and well-being of every person in its care. We call on our leadership to appoint reform-minded commissioners who will lead with accountability, compassion, and the courage to transform these systems. Our communities, our families, and every person behind those walls deserve safe, humane environments that support healing, growth, and true justice.”
Reverend Jim Ketcham, Chaplaincy Certification Coordinator of the NYS Council of Churches, said: “The NYS Council of Churches strongly supports the changes to the State Commission of Corrections which were passed and signed last year. As people of faith, we remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 25: ‘I was in prison and you visited me’ and of Hebrews 13:3 ‘Remember those in prison as if you were together with them.’ We see all incarcerated individuals as brothers and sisters, fellow children of God. They deserve to be treated justly and humanely. This is not happening in many state and county correctional facilities, much to our shame. By expanding the powers and budget of the Commission, as well as increasing its members to include those outside law enforcement and prosecutorial backgrounds, the NYS legislature and Governor Hochul have taken the first steps to bring justice inside the walls of our correctional facilities. The first new appointments are due on May 9. We will be watching.”
Kevin Valentine, Member of the Katal Center, said: “While I was incarcerated, my family was always concerned about my safety. This is the same experience for thousands of families across the state who know just how horrific the conditions are. Already, there have been far too many lives lost. In NYC, at the Rikers Island Jail Complex, two incarcerated people died in March due to medical emergencies. The State Commission of Correction has a responsibility of ensuring that conditions in jails & prisons are safe, stable, and humane. For decades, they’ve failed to meet this mandate and must do better to prevent future deaths. The governor must appoint reform-oriented commissioners who will advance efforts at addressing the horrific conditions and move expeditiously to close facilities failing to keep people safe, as is the case at Rikers.”
Nicole Capozziello, Co-Director of the Social Workers & Allies Against Solitary Confinement, said: “Now, more than ever, the incarcerated people of New York state live in fear of abuse and neglect. Meaningful changes to the SCOC have the much-needed potential to transform this reality. We call upon Gov. Hochul to use thought and care to appoint brave and transformative leaders to the SCOC, acting with the well-being of all New Yorkers, particularly those behind bars, in mind.”
King Downing, director of the Healing Justice Program NY/NJ of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), said: “The governor must appoint progressive commissioners immediately – as a first step to bring justice and peace of mind to the incarcerated, their families, their communities and prison advocates. You can’t manage what you don’t measure.”
Joyce McMillan, Just Making a Change for Families, said: “Incarceration should not be a default death sentence. I support the call for the SCOC to fulfill its mandate to ensure people taken into state custody are not carried out in a body bag. We urge Gov. Hochul to appoint transformative leaders to the SCOC to ensure the safety of incarcerated individuals across NY Prisons and Jails!”
Yonah Zeitz, advocacy director of the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice: “As jails and prisons across New York face crises and dangerous conditions, it is unconscionable that the independent watchdog agency is sitting idly by and failing to protect incarcerated people. The SCOC has constitutional authority to shut down correctional facilities like Rikers Island that are failing to keep people safe, yet it has never exercised this authority. Instead, the agency maintains the status quo that produces violence and preventable deaths. That is why our members and organizational partners organized to get Gov. Hochul to sign the Jail and Prison Omnibus bill last year, which overhauls the SCOC. Now, we’re ten days away from the May 9th effective date for the two new part-time commissioners. The governor must appoint reform-oriented commissioners with the personal and lived experience to ensure the commission fulfills its mandate. Lives are at stake, and there is no time to waste.”
Background: #ShutRikers is a campaign of the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice. Katal members, supporters, and our allies are working to cut the correctional populations and the budgets used for caging people; shut down Rikers Island; and invest in real community safety: housing, health care, including mental health, education, and jobs.
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