Organizing to Address Deadly Conditions in Jails and Prisons Across NY
Katal team at the State Capital in Albany, 1.28.25
This Tuesday, Katal members and staff went up to Albany to talk with legislators about S.856 – Salazar/ A.2315 – Gallagher, which will expand and diversify the State Commission of Correction (SCOC) to ensure it meets its mandate. The SCOC is an independent body with a constitutional mandate to ensure that local jails and state prisons are “safe, stable, and humane.” With the gruesome killing of Robert Brooks by correctional officers at Marcy Correctional Facility, it’s clear that the SCOC is failing its responsibility across the state.
Throughout the day, we spoke with more than two dozen Senators and Assemblymembers about the need to take urgent action by passing legislation to expand and strengthen the SCOC. Click here to learn more about this critical and timely legislation.
Katal’s team speaking to lawmakers and staff in Albany, 1.28.25
Yesterday, we attended the SCOC monthly meeting. This is the second time the Commission has convened since the murder of Mr. Brooks, but they have yet to include this abhorrent tragedy on their agenda – a gross failure of responsibility. After the hearing, Commission chair Allen Riley was quoted saying that the investigation into the murder of Robert Brooks “could take years.” This is unacceptable.
As the Commission refuses to address the killing of Robert Brooks, we put out a press release calling for legislative change to make the Commission meet its mandate for oversight and accountability. See the full release featuring quotes from elected officials and our members.
Our advocacy director Yonah Zeitz was quoted in Spectrum News 1 saying, “We want to revamp and energize this commission.” You can also see coverage of yesterday’s Commission meeting in POLITICO.
If you have any questions or want to get involved in the fight, please reach out to Yonah at Yonah@katalcenter.org.
Katal at the State Commission of Correction monthly meeting, 1.29.25
Receivership and Organizing to Shut Rikers
On Friday, the federal monitor and the parties in Nunez v. N.Y.C. Department of Correction, issued a status report related to development of a federal receivership at Rikers. Instead of outlining the structure of an independent receiver, the City, under Mayor Adams, requested the Court to appoint the current DOC Commissioner, Lynelle Maginley-Liddie as a ”Compliance Director.” Rather than work on a sensible plan to solve the crisis, Adams seeks to make a mockery of the process by proposing, in effect, to maintain the status quo. See our statement in response.
We were quoted in the Queens Daily Eagle saying “This is shameful. The status quo is not acceptable. As the monitor has repeatedly reported, Rikers is a danger to people detained there and those who work there.”
Today, the City Council Committee on Criminal Justice held a hearing and we, along with our organizational partners, called on the Council to hold Mayor Adams accountable for shutting Rikers and addressing the dangerous conditions incarcerated people face. As Mayor Adams delays and outright ignores the legal and process benchmarks required for closing Rikers, the City Council has yet to take any meaningful steps to hold him accountable to the closure plan.
Until Rikers is shut down, the federal courts must appoint an independent receiver to take over city jails and improve conditions for both the people incarcerated there and those who work there. We’re calling on the City Council to swiftly pass Resolution 183, which calls for the appointment of an independent receiver. With this recent attempt by the Adams administration to undermine this process, this is a concrete step this council can take right now to address the crisis at Rikers.”
Check out our press release about today’s meeting.
If you any questions or want to get in involved in the #ShutRikers campaign, please reach out to Melanie at melanie@katalcenter.org
Katal in the News
These are some of the quotes we’re thinking about this week.
- “Ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have.” –James Baldwin
- “The human spirit is stronger than any government or institution.” – Fela Kuti
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Katal works to strengthen the people, policies, institutions, and movements that advance equity, health, and justice. Join us: web, Twitter, Facebook! Email: info@katalcenter.org Phone: 646.875.8822.
