FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, May 28, 2025
Contact: Yonah Zeitz, yonah@katalcenter.org • 347-201-2769
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Community Groups and Impacted People Gather with Elected Officials in Albany to Demand Reforms to Failing Government Watchdog with Authority Over Local Jails and State Prisons
With Correctional Facilities Across the State in Crisis, the NY Assembly Must Pass A.2315 – Gallagher to Expand and Diversify the State Commission of Correction
Albany, NY – Today, people directly impacted by jails and prisons in New York, along with community groups and elected officials, held a press conference outside of the Alfred E. Smith State Building to demand an overhaul of the state’s jail and prison watchdog – the State Commission of Correction (SCOC). Speakers at the rally called on the Assembly to pass A.2315-(Gallagher), which will expand and diversify the SCOC.
With the recent killing of Robert Brooks and Messiah Nantwi in state prisons, and five deaths at Rikers this year, this is a critical moment to address correctional accountability and oversight. The SCOC is an independent body mandated with the constitutional authority to ensure that correctional facilities across New York – all local jails and state prisons – are “safe, stable and humane,” but for more than 20 years, the SCOC has consistently failed to meet its responsibility.
This press conference directly followed the SCOC’s May monthly meeting, during which the commission once again failed to mention or take action on multiple crises unfolding in jails and prisons across New York. That’s why community groups are working on legislation S856 (Salazar) /A2315 (Gallagher), which would reform the SCOC’s membership and appointment process.
Support for this legislation is growing; nearly 100 community, advocacy, legal, and faith-based organizations have signed on in support of the immediate passage of S.856-(Salazar) / A.2315-(Gallagher). At a recent legislative hearing, the father of Robert Brooks called for the passage of legislation to overhaul the SCOC.
Under pressure from community groups, the Legislature and Governor have increased the funding of the SCOC to $7.1 million – an increase of $3 million from last year’s budget – and strengthened oversight and accountability provisions. The next step is passage of S.856-(Salazar) / A.2315-(Gallagher). The bill passed the Senate last week. There are nearly 50 co-sponsors on the Assembly bill and it is currently in the Correction Committee. With three weeks left in session, community groups call on the Assembly to finish the job and pass A.2315 (Gallagher).
Quotes from elected officials, community groups, and impacted community members:
Senator Julia Salazar, Chair of the Committee on Crime Victims, Crime, and Correction & Prime Bill Sponsor, said: “Time is running out to pass my and Assemblymember Gallagher’s bill to expand and diversify the State Commission of Correction (SCOC). New York’s prisons have been abusive toward incarcerated people for decades. Just a few months ago correction officers murdered both Robert Brooks and Messiah Nantwi, and yet there has still been no substantial legislative action to address the systemic violence taking place that led their deaths. SCOC Expansion would increase oversight of New York’s prisons and bring us closer to ending this pattern of violence. As lawmakers, we have an obligation to take action.”
Assemblymember Emily Gallagher, Prime Bill Sponsor, said: “The SCOC has a constitutional mandate to ensure correctional facilities are ‘safe, stable, and humane,’ but we have yet to see any meaningful action taken since Robert Brooks and Messiah Nantwi were brutally murdered in state prisons. Furthermore, it has been two weeks since the joint Public Hearing on the Safety of Persons in Custody, Transparency, and Accountability within State Correctional Facilities hosted by the Assembly and Senate. I continue to hear from incarcerated people each week begging us to do something to protect them and ensure that they are not the next Robert Brooks. We are weeks from the end of session. We must pass SCOC reform and send a message to all incarcerated people in New York State that their lives matter, and we will fight to protect them.”
Assemblymember Phara Souffrant Forrest, said: “The State Commission of Correction is supposed to protect the lives and dignity of people in our jails—but right now, it’s failing. If we’re serious about ending abuse and neglect in our jails, we need a commission with real teeth—independent, transparent, and accountable to the people. This bill from Assemblymember Gallagher and Senator Salazar will do just that and I’m proud to join them in calling for its passage.”
Assemblymember Harvey Epstein, said: “The conditions within New York State jails and prisons are devastating and we need more comprehensive oversight. I am proud to cosponsor A2315 to increase the diversity of the perspectives and expertise of the commissioners on the State Commission on Corrections.”
Kevin Valentine, Member of the Katal Center, said: “The conditions in New York State prisons and jails are life-threatening. As someone who has been through the system, I can tell you that there is no form of rehabilitation for incarcerated individuals. People are subjected to arbitrary punishment that is in direct violation of their constitutional rights. We’ve witnessed the killings of Robert Brooks and Messiah Natwi at the hands of Correctional Offices in state prisons. In NYC, Under Mayor Adams, roughly 38th people have died in city jails. We cannot continue this way it is simply cruel and inhumane. The State Commission on Corrections needs to do a lot more to address and reform these conditions. This commission needs to be overhauled to ensure it meets its constitutional mandate. The Senate has taken a step in the right direction by passing the SCOC bill and now the Assembly must do the same and pass legislation A.2315 now!”
Susan Lerner, Executive Director of Common Cause/NY, said: “We applaud state lawmakers for recognizing the urgent need to strengthen oversight of our corrections system and invest in institutions that are more transparent and responsive to the public. For too long, the SCOC has operated without true accountability, forcing New Yorkers in our carceral system to suffer. Now, Albany lawmakers have a real opportunity to reform this broken system. The Senate has done its part — and now it’s time for the Assembly to do the same. We look forward to working with them to finish the job and better protect our communities before the end of this session.”
Reverend Jim Ketcham, Chaplaincy Certification Coordinator of the NYS Council of Churches, said: “The New York State Council of Churches congratulates the NYS Senate on the passage of S856, expanding and strengthening the State Commission on Corrections. We call on the NYS Assembly to follow suit on this important issue. The culture of violence and bigotry that permeates corrections must be brought to an end.”
Michael McQuillan, Member of the Social Justice Committee at the Brooklyn Heights Synagogue, said: “The SCOC bill’s passage and enactment is the least we should demand. A body that closed half its 27 minute public session to the public to address and unanimously approve zoning variances with not one word on the flesh and blood welfare of the humanity within our jails and prisons in the wake of upstate killings and the Rikers Island crisis is unfit. It must be restructured, its members replaced.”
Lah Franklin, Member of the Katal Center, said: “Jails and prisons across New York are in an ongoing state of crisis that needs to end. Even when I was incarcerated, the conditions were bad, but since it’s gotten progressively worse and people are dying in alarming numbers. With the recent killing of Robert Brooks and Messiah Nantwi in state prisons and five deaths at Rikers this year, the New York State legislature must take all the necessary steps to address these horrific conditions. It is time 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. The Senate has advanced the SCOC bill to strengthen and diversify this commission. I urge the Assembly not to let the clock run out and pass bill A.2315”
Lukee Forbes, Executive Director of We Are Revolutionary, said: “Every time someone dies behind bars in New York State, it’s not just a policy failure, it’s a moral one. The conditions inside these facilities are violent by design, and the people running them are rarely held accountable. That’s why I support the SCOC bill, because true oversight is about power, and right now, no one is watching the watchers. At We Are Revolutionary, we fight to end adverse childhood and lived experiences because we know where they lead. Without serious intervention, trauma becomes policy, and policy becomes death. This bill is not just legislation, it’s a demand for dignity.”
Niesreen Mende, Director of Organizing at We Are Revolutionary, said: “True accountability demands honest oversight, a commission that acts, not ignores. We back the SCOC reform bill because our communities deserve transparent guardianship, not silent neglect. Until every life is valued, our work to end ACEs and ALEs remains unfinished.”
Ziyadah Amatulmatin, Member of the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice, said: “For decades, state prisons across New York have failed to keep our incarcerated loved ones safe. With the recent killing of Robert Brooks and Messiah Nantwi in state prisons, we are at a critical moment that demands immediate action. My brother Ramadan Mubarak Ibn Abdul-Mateen is among those who have died while under the custody of the Department of Corrections. He died at Wende Correctional Facility because of the lack of access to medical care and excessive force. My son, who is currently incarcerated, is also experiencing the same horrific conditions that everyone behind bars is enduring. These are the realities that families with a loved one behind bars are living with. The conditions in New York State jails and prisons are life-threatening and urgent action is needed. I am grateful to Senate Leadership for passing S856 to strengthen the State Commission on Correction and ensure that it meets its mandate of protecting the constitutional rights of incarcerated people. Now, I urge the Assembly to act with the same urgency and pass the SCOC bill out of the Corrections Committee. There is no time to waste when lives are a stake.”
Yonah Zeitz, Advocacy Director of the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice: “In the midst of multiple correctional crises, New York needs and deserves an effective independent watchdog for its correctional facilities. That is why the State Commission of Correction (SCOC) was created with a constitutional mandate to ensure that correctional facilities across the state are ‘safe and humane.’ Yet, for decades they’ve failed to meet this mandate. The heinous killings of Robert Brooks and Messiah Nantwi in state prisons is emblematic of the systemic issues of violence, abuse, and torture occurring under the SCOC’s watch. Local jails are no better, as a federal court just took control of Rikers due to the constitutional violations incarcerated face.
The Senate has done its job, and now the Assembly must follow suit. We urge the Assembly to take action now and deliver this bill, S856 (Salazar) / A2315 (Gallagher), to the governor’s desk. There is simply no time to waste. There must be a sense of urgency in the final stretch of the session to get this done.”
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