Prison reform advocates say Gov. Kathy Hochul isn’t holding up her end of the bargain when it comes to appointing commissioners to fully staff the State Commission of Correction (SCOC), which is New York’s jail and prison watchdog agency.
“We’re here to push her,” said Melanie Dominguez, organizing director of the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice. “We’re not going to go away until she appoints these reform-oriented commissioners.”
On Wednesday, a small group of prison reform advocates gathered in front of the Alfred E. Smith building in Albany which houses the commission.
This all comes after key reforms to the commission went into effect on May 9. The reforms are part of last year’s prison oversight omnibus bill, which Hochul signed into law in December 2025.
One of the key provisions is expanding the number of commissioners from three to five and requiring at least one commissioner be formerly incarcerated.
Of the vacancies, there is a full-time position and two part-time openings.
“She has until the end of the legislative session to appoint these commissioners,” said Dominguez.
Currently, there are two sitting commissioners who were expected to meet Wednesday, but the meeting was canceled. Advocates say it’s because the commission isn’t fully staffed.
The Correctional Association of New York calls the situation “concerning.”
“We’re not looking at a lot of time left in the legislative session for those nominations to come through and for the confirmation process to occur,” said Sumeet Sharma, director of focus, policy and communications at the Correctional Association of New York.
In a statement to Spectrum News 1, Kirstan Conley, a spokesperson for the State Commission of Correction said:
“Leadership and staff at the State Commission of Correction work tirelessly every day to help ensure a safe, stable, and humane correctional system for all New Yorkers. As they continue to carry out this mission, they look forward to welcoming additional leadership and staff, made possible by the expansion of the Commission, increased funding and additional resources secured by Governor Hochul.
As the Commission’s leadership and staff maintain their core oversight responsibilities and move toward full implementation of changes enabled by legislative action, they continue to inspect correctional facilities, investigate deaths of incarcerated individuals, and review complaints and reportable incidents, while ensuring that reforms are instituted in accordance with state law and regulations.
All business requiring a vote this month was addressed on May 7, and there were no remaining agenda items requiring immediate action. Public meetings will resume following the appointment of an additional Commissioner, which will fulfill the legal requirement for a quorum of the newly expanded Commission.”
A spokesperson from the governor’s office told Spectrum News 1:
“Governor Hochul has been clear that the safety of all staff and incarcerated individuals is a top priority, which is why she has implemented fundamental, systemwide changes to ensure the State’s correction system prioritizes safety, accountability and transparency across all facilities. This administration began working diligently to identify candidates for the Commission prior to the effective date for the new law, and will continue to coordinate with the Senate to schedule confirmation hearings to fill these new roles.”
Advocates say they have submitted a list of names to the governor’s office of people they feel are “appropriate” to fill these vacancies.