FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 27, 2026
Contact: Yonah Zeitz: 347-201-2768 yonah@katalcenter.org
Follow online: @katalcenter | #ShutRikers | shutrikers.org
Today, Formerly Incarcerated People & Families Meet with the Hochul Administration to Demand She Appoint Reform-Oriented Commissioners to the State Commission of Correction – Including a Formerly Incarcerated Person
With New York’s Jails and Prisons in Crisis, the State’s Independent Oversight Agency Cancels its May Monthly Meeting Because It Does Not Have a Quorum to Function
New York, NY – Today, formerly incarcerated people and their families meet with the Hochul administration to demand she appoint reform-oriented commissioners, including a formerly incarcerated person, to the State Commission of Correction (SCOC) before the end of the legislative session on Thursday, June 4th. With six session days left in this legislative session, Governor Hochul has created an unnecessarily tight timeline to appoint new commissioners to the SCOC and get them confirmed by the Senate.
Today, at 11 am, the SCOC, New York’s jail and prison watchdog agency, was scheduled to hold their May monthly meeting. However, the meeting was canceled since the agency does not currently have a quorum to function. Without new members appointed by the end of session, the SCOC is immobilized, precisely when oversight is needed most.
Right now, there are two sitting Commissions: Chair Canty and Commissioner Gaynes and there are currently three vacancies (one full-time position and two new part-time positions).
On Saturday, May 9th, key reforms to the SCOC, which were part of last year’s Prison Oversight Omnibus Bill, took effect – expanding the number of commissioners from three to five and requiring a diversity of backgrounds, including at least one commissioner who must be formerly incarcerated.
When negotiating chapter amendments for these reforms last year, the governor insisted that she alone have the nominating authority, rather than keeping the shared appointment authority with the Legislative leaders, as proposed in the original statute. Now she alone is responsible for filling these appointments– and she has thus far failed to do so
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. The SCOC has consistently failed to meet its responsibility, and incarcerated people across New York have suffered the consequences. The brutal murders of Robert Brooks and Messiah Nantwi and the nearly 60 deaths in state prisons from January to April of this year highlight the inadequacy of this oversight agency in state prisons. Local jails are no better, and the deadly conditions at Rikers, where two people died in less than 24 hours last week, underscore the gross failure of this agency.
As New York’s jails and prisons remain embattled with preventable deaths, violence, and overuse of isolation, it’s clear that greater oversight, not less, is needed to improve conditions and save lives. It is vital that Governor Hochul swiftly appoints and the State Senate confirms reform-oriented individuals, including a formerly incarcerated person, to this Commission before the end of the legislative session on June 4th.
Quotes from impacted community members and community group:
Kevin Valentine, member of the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice, 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. The State Commission of Correction is responsible for 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. Governor Kathy Hochul needs to act more like a public servant than a politician. Her actions should match the words she expressed on December 9 at the anniversary honoring Robert Brooks. She must follow through on her commitments to increasing oversight and improving safety by appointing three reform-oriented commissioners to the State Commission of Correction by the end of the legislative session. One of these commissioners must be formerly incarcerated, which is vital to ensuring a diversity of perspectives and a commitment to accountability and transparency.”
Lah Franklin, Member of the Katal Center, said: “Since I’ve been incarcerated, the conditions in New York jails & prisons have only gotten worse. The brutal killings of Robert Brooks and Messiah Nantwi in state prisons underscored this crisis. Although we are grateful that Governor Hochul passed reforms to overhaul the State Commission of Correction to ensure it meets its mandate of ensuring that correctional facilities across New York are ‘safe, stable and humane,’ she must now ensure the swift implementation of this legislation. Before the legislative session is over, she must appoint reform-oriented individuals to the commission! Most importantly, she must appoint a formerly incarcerated person to the commission! We need commissioners with lived experience who will take action to protect the constitutional rights of incarcerated people.”
Ziyadah Amatul-Matin, member of the Katal Center, said: “My brother died while incarcerated from medical neglect and physical abuse, my son, who was recently incarcerated in a state prison, experienced the same horrific violence as my brother. I am grateful that he is finally home, but this is not the same fate for so many others who have died in jails and prisons across New York. We desperately need greater oversight, and we won’t have that unless the State Commission of Correction (SCOC) is fully functioning. As of May 9th, when key reforms went into effect, the SCOC no longer has a quorum to function. It is up to Governor Hochul to fill in the 3 commissioner seats by appointing reform-oriented commissioners. As the law requires, she must appoint a formerly incarcerated person, and she must do so before the end of the legislative session. Lives are at stake, and she must act now!”
Anthony Maund, Member of the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice: “Over a year ago, Robert Brooks was brutally beaten to death by correctional officers at Marcy prison. This horrible murder shocked the world, but people like me, who have been incarcerated in New York State prisons, we knew how deadly this system is. I am glad that Governor Hochul signed key reforms to overhaul the State Commission of Correction, increasing the number of commissioners from three to five, while requiring that they have a diverse background, including someone who is a formerly incarcerated person. This will be incredibly important in ensuring that the commission doesn’t have any biases and can make needed changes that are in the best interest of everyone, including incarcerated people. However, Governor Hochul has yet to appoint the new commissioners, and she has until the end of the legislative session, which is a week away. If she doesn’t appoint at least one commissioner, the SCOC will continue to lack a quorum to function. At a time when greater oversight is needed, the Governor must act now!”
Melanie Dominguez, organizing director of the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice: “As jails and prisons across New York face crises and dangerous conditions, the State Commission of Correction, New York’s independent watchdog agency, canceled their May monthly meeting today. Right now, when more oversight is desperately needed, this agency lacks a quorum to function. Gov. Hochul must swiftly appoint new commissioners to ensure the agency will no longer sit idly by while incarcerated people face death, violence, and abuse behind bars. With six session days left in the legislative session, the Governor must immediately put forward reform-oriented commissioners, including a formerly incarcerated person, who have the personal and professional experience required to be confirmed by the Senate within this tight timeframe. We’ve shared a list of qualified individuals with the Hochul administration to ensure that they can effectively fill these appointments with the right people.
The governor created this problem by first demanding that she alone have the nominating authority, rather than keeping the shared appointment authority with the Legislative leaders, as proposed in the original statute, and then by failing to act before the May 9 effective date. Now she must fulfill her commitments to greater oversight and rectify this situation by confirming the right people to ensure this failing agency meets its constitutional mandate.”
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