FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, April 2nd, 2026
Contact: Yonah Zeitz: yonah@katalcenter.org • 347-201-2769
Follow on socials @KatalCenter • #ShutRikers #CutShutInvestNY
After Years of Organizing by Directly Impacted People and Hundreds of Organizations, New York’s Jail and Prison Watchdog Now Has a Public Complaint Portal
As the State Commission of Correction Continues to Fail its Oversight Responsibility, Gov. Hochul Must Appoint Reform-Oriented Individuals to the Commission this Spring
New York: The State Commission of Correction (SCOC), the government watchdog agency with authority over local jails and state prisons, including Rikers Island, 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,” and they have wide-ranging authority to address the conditions behind bars. Now, as part of a package of reforms passed last year, the SCOC has an Online Complaint Portal where incarcerated people and community members can file grievances.
For more than 20 years, the SCOC has consistently failed to meet its mandate. The murders of Robert Brooks in 2024, and Messiah Nantwi in 2025, brought the failures of the SCOC into sharp relief.
After years of organizing by directly impacted people and over 160 community, advocacy, and faith-based organizations to increase jail and prison oversight, a package of reforms to overhaul the were passed last year as part of the budget process and in the Omnibus Prison Oversight Bill passed at end of session. The reforms included mandating the SCOC to visit every correctional facility in the state once a year; and they are required to make their grievance procedure more accessible by establishing an online portal to accept complaints.
Now, incarcerated people, their families, and loved ones are able to submit a complaint to the SCOC related to any local jail, police lock-up, youth detention facility, or state prison in New York. This new portal comes as jails and prisons across New York remain in crisis. Bedford Hills prison saw an uptick in deaths last month, and in the last week, two people died at Rikers. Yesterday, The CITY published a story about how, in 2025, over 40,000 complaints were logged on NYC’s 311 hotline about conditions at Rikers Island, and most went unaddressed. This underscores the need for effective avenues for incarcerated people and their loved ones to file grievances.
This new portal is a step in the right direction, but there is more to be done to ensure this failing commission fulfills its oversight responsibility. Most urgently, the reforms last year expanded the number of commissioners from three to five – now, Governor Hochul must appoint reform-oriented candidates who are committed to ensuring the SCOC meet its mandate. The effective date for the new commissioners is May 9th, and the State Senate must confirm any appointments – with the legislative session ending in early June, there’s no time to waste.
Statement from elected officials, directed impacted people, faith and community groups:
State Senator Julia Salazar, Chair of the Senate Committee on Crime Victims, Crime, and Correction, said: “The overhaul of the State Commission of Correction passed last year in the budget and through the Prison Reform Omnibus Bill was the result of desperately needed transparency, oversight, and accountability to New York’s jails and prisons following the brutal murders of Robert Brooks and Messiah Nantwi. I am glad to see the SCOC’s public complaint portal is now live, as this will provide a new avenue for incarcerated people and their loved ones to file complaints with the watchdog agency. It’s clear that more oversight is needed to address the entrenched abuse and neglect that unfold in New York’s correctional facilities, and this is a step in the right direction. Next, we must ensure that the new commissioners are reform-oriented and have the personal and professional experiences required to ensure this agency fulfills its mandate.”
Assemblymember Emily Gallagher, said: “The introduction of the SCOC’s Online Complaint Portal is an important milestone for oversight and accountability within our state’s correctional system. The carceral state holds so much power over incarcerated people and their families. Every initiative that reduces that power imbalance brings us one step closer to a justice system worthy of its name. The omnibus oversight corrections bill that we passed last year required that the SCOC add two new commissioners, including one who is formerly incarcerated. I join the advocates and impacted community members in urging the Governor to fill these seats quickly, so this important oversight body is steered by people with perspective and expertise necessary to keep our incarcerated people safe.”
Ziyadah Amatul-Matin, member of the Katal Center, said: “As a sister whose brother died while incarcerated for medical neglect and physical abuse, and a mother of a son who is currently incarcerated in a state prison experiencing horrible abuse, it brings me so much ease to learn that there is now an online portal run by an independent government agency where I can file complaints on behalf of my son. I am my son’s biggest advocate, and I fight for him daily to simply protect his rights as a human being. I will be using this new portal to file complaints, and just like we fought to pass the Jail and Prison Oversight Omnibus Bill for our incarcerated loved ones that allowed for this victory (online portal), we will continue to hold this independent government agency accountable to fulfilling their constitutional mandate of ensuring that New York State Correctional facilities are kept in safe, stable, and humane conditions.”
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 right to humane treatment for people who are incarcerated in jails like Rikers Island. That is why we’re grateful to see the creation of this new online portal for incarcerated people and their loved ones to file grievances. People with disabilities are entitled to their disability-related rights even while housed in New York State jails and prisons. We encourage Governor Hochul to appoint reform-minded commissioners to the SCOC this spring who have experience with incarceration and disability.”
Messiah Ramkissoon, Deputy Executive Director, Youth Justice Network: “The welcome arrival of the SCOC’s Online Complaint Portal, far sooner than expected, is a significant step forward in strengthening oversight and accountability. The portal will help to protect incarcerated people and their families from abuses of power, ensure their concerns can be heard, and place the accountability back where it belongs. To truly safeguard detained individuals up and down the state, we urge the Hochul Administration to appoint commissioners to the SCOC who are genuinely committed to reform, transparency, and accountability.”
Kevin Valentine, Member of the Katal Center, said: “As someone who has been incarcerated, I can tell you that incarcerated 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. In NYC, two people held at Rikers Island died this past month due to medical complications. These are not unique situations, but frankly, a representation of the dysfunction and corruption in these correctional facilities. Now more than ever, independent oversight is needed. The State Commission of Correction (SCOC) is doing right by opening a much-needed portal for people to submit complaints on behalf of incarcerated people and their experiences behind bars. This is one of the ways to increase oversight and secure the rights of incarcerated people. However, they must not stop there and also move to close down facilities like Rikers Island that have long violated people’s constitutional rights and are in a deplorable state.”
Elder Louis D. Rodriguez, Justice Advocate at the Presbytery of New York City, said: “Governor Kathy Hochul, Scripture reminds us in Proverbs 31:8–9 to ‘speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,’ and today that call extends to those behind prison walls. The prophet Amos declares, ‘Let justice roll down like waters’ (Amos 5:24), yet justice cannot flow where oversight is weak and accountability is absent. Getting this public complaint portal online is a step in the right direction to increase oversight, and now we urge you to appoint reform-oriented commissioners to the State Commission of Corrections who will uphold dignity, transparency, and true rehabilitation. As Matthew 25:36 teaches, Christ is present with those who are incarcerated, and how we treat them reflects our faith. Lead with courage and righteousness, and ensure that justice in New York is not merely proclaimed, but practiced.”
James Norton, Government & Community Affairs Manager at NAMI NYS, said: “People with mental illness are significantly overrepresented in our nation’s jails and prisons. Unfortunately, there have been several incidents that highlight the grave situation those with mental illness face when incarcerated. While we envision a world where early intervention, comprehensive community mental health care, and a robust crisis response system reduces or eliminates the justice system involvement of people with mental illness. NAMI believes that all people with mental health conditions who are incarcerated deserve access to quality mental health treatment. This portal empowers individuals and families to take action to ensure that care is accessible.”
Glory Gibson, Member of the Katal Center, said: “There are so many families in New York that are worried sick about the safety of their incarcerated loved ones. I know, I worry daily about the safety of my brother, who is currently incarcerated and has had to endure horrible treatment and conditions in prison. He has been unjustly put in the box and starved. That is why I was going up to Albany to fight for the passage of the Jail and Prison Oversight Omnibus Bill. The Governor signed our bill and increased the funding for the State Commission of Correction. This independent oversight body has now opened up a portal where people can file complaints on behalf of their incarcerated loved ones, thanks to our advocacy. I am thankful that we now have another way in which we can fight and advocate for the well-being of our loved ones.”
Mary Buser, Co-Director at 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. As the prison oversight agency, the SCOC’s new Online Complaint Portal is a step forward to give incarcerated people, their families, and loved ones an option to submit a complaint about any jails and prisons in New York. To ensure the SCOC makes the safety of incarcerated people a priority, we call on Gov. Hochul to appoint reform-oriented commissioners to the SCOC.”
Waheedah Abdul-Mateen, Member of the Katal Center, said: “My son, Ramadan Mubarak Ibn Addis-Mateen, died at Wende Correctional Facility because he was denied medical attention when he needed it the most. I had to bury my youngest son because this system refused to care for him while in their custody. This broke me deeply, and I pray that other families never have to go through that. I pray that my grandson, who is currently incarcerated, gets to come back home to us. I am glad that at least now, families, including mine, can submit complaints to an independent government agency that is responsible for ensuring that conditions in jails and prisons across New York are safe. This will increase oversight and accountability within these correctional facilities, and that is greatly needed.”
Yonah Zeitz, advocacy director for the Katal Center, said: “For over two years, our members and our coalition of over 160 organizations have organized to increase oversight and overhaul the State Commission of Correction. The creation of the SCOC’s online portal is a direct result of this organizing and now allows incarcerated people and families to file grievances regarding jails and prisons across New York. This is a critical step in the right direction. We thank our legislative champions, Senator Julia Salazar and Assemblymember Emily Gallagher, for proposing this reform in earlier versions of the SCOC COC bill and for their commitment to bringing greater oversight and accountability to jails and prisons across New York.
Now, Gov. Hochul, with the consent of the Senate, must effectively implement the reforms to the SCOC by appointing reform-oriented commissioners to ensure the agency fulfills its mandate of ensuring the safety and well-being of incarcerated people.”
###