FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, May 20, 2025
Contact: Yonah Zeitz, yonah@katalcenter.org • 347-201-2769
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New York State Senate Passes Bill 856 (Salazar) Strengthen Watchdog Agency with Investigative and Oversight Powers Over Jails and Prison
Community Groups, Directly Impacted News Yorkers, and Elected Officials Applaud the State Senate, Call on Assembly to Act on Overhauling the State Commission of Correction
Albany, NY—Today, the New York State Senate passed S.856 (Salazar) for the second straight year. This bill expands and strengthens the State Commission of Correction (SCOC), the watchdog agency with investigative and oversight powers over every jail and prison in the state.
The State Commission on Correction 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. That’s why nearly 100 community, faith, and advocacy organizations across the state are calling on legislators to fix the SCOC by ensuring it meets its mandate throughout the state.
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. During last week’s joint public hearing on the crisis in state prisons, community groups and advocates, including the father of Robert Brooks, called for the passage of this bill to overhaul the SCOC.
This legislation, S856 (Salazar) /A2315 (Gallagher), will expand the number of commissioners from three to nine and distribute appointments among the Governor, the Senate, the Assembly, and the independent nonprofit, the Correctional Association of New York. The appointment requirements would guarantee a diversity of backgrounds, including in public health, behavioral healthcare, prisoner’s rights litigation, and personal experiences of incarceration. See this fact sheet for more information.
Support for this legislation has grown this session, and already, some progress has been made. In this year’s budget, the Legislature already 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.
Now, the New York Assembly must swiftly follow suit, pass A.2315 (Gallagher), and deliver the bill to the Governor’s desk for her signature.
Quotes from elected officials, community groups, and impacted community members:
Senator Julia Salazar, Prime Bill Sponsor, said: “I’m thrilled the Senate has passed my and Assemblymember Gallagher’s bill to expand and diversify the State Commission of Correction (SCOC). New York’s prisons have been violent 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 abuse that led their deaths. SCOC Expansion would increase oversight and accountability of New York’s prisons and bring us closer to ending this pattern of violence. I want to thank our Majority Leader and my colleagues for supporting this effort.”
Assemblymember Emily Gallagher, Prime Bill Sponsor, said: “It’s been over five months since Robert Brooks was brutally murdered at Marcy prison. As last week’s hearing made clear, it’s vital to pass meaningful legislation to increase oversight and prevent this type of tragedy from happening again. I am grateful that the Senate passed this important bill, which would expand the SCOC and diversify it, so its commissioners include people with the expertise and perspective to protect incarcerated people. The Assembly advanced this bill last year, and this is no reason for it not to do so again before session ends next month. It is only more urgent now. We must pass this bill and show incarcerated people that their lives have value and New York State is committed to protecting all of its residents from torture, harm and death.”
Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages, Chair of the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus, said: “As we continue to read headlines about the wrongful deaths of Black and Latino New Yorkers held with our State’s correctional facilities, our legislative body must take action to stop this senseless violence. It is shameful to know that the deaths of Robert Brooks, Messiah Nantwi, and thousands of others were avoidable and perpetuated by a lack of oversight. New York has long needed an overhaul of the State Commission of Corrections, and I am proud to see my colleagues in the State Senate push this bill over the finish line. We will continue to fight for this bill’s success in the Assembly to ensure that we are properly overseeing our state prisons.”
Assemblymember Demond Meeks, said: “As a member of the Assembly Committee on Corrections, I am committed to promoting transparency and accountability in our correctional system. The State Commission of Corrections has operated without the accountability and diversity of perspective needed to protect the rights of incarcerated individuals. Expanding the commission to include voices from public health, legal advocacy, and those with lived experience is a step toward meaningful oversight. This bill reflects our growing recognition that justice doesn’t end at sentencing. Justice must be upheld inside our correctional facilities as well.”
Anthony Maund, Member of the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice: “While I was incarcerated at a State Correctional Facility, there were many instances where correctional officers used excessive physical force on me. I filed so many grievances, but there was never any accountability. This is not a unique experience but one that many incarcerated people go through. It is time for the dormant State Commission of Corrections to be strengthened to ensure that all correctional facilities do not violate people’s constitutional rights. I am so happy that the New York State Senate is taking the necessary steps to strengthen this commission by passing S856. Now, I urge the Assembly to swiftly pass the SCOC bill”
Sharon McLennon Wier Ph.D., MSEd., CRC, LMHC Executive Director, Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York (CIDNY), said: “The Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York (CIDNY) supports the passing of S.856. We thank the Senate for passing this bill for the second year in a row. We encourage the Assembly to move the bill out of the Assembly Corrections Committee. It is important to have additional members of the State Commission of Corrections. CIDNY believes that a member with a disability should be represented to truly reflect all residents who are currently incarcerated.”
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: “S.856’s Senate passage proves that a State Commission post is a place of service, not a sinecure. It portends ends for the arbitrary deaths and degradations that have been tolerated norms in New York’s jails and prisons. The Assembly’s Corrections Committee must rouse itself to action, move the A.2315 companion bill to its own floor vote and then press the Governor to sign it. 92 faith, legal and advocacy groups on behalf of those who cannot make themselves heard from cells demand and expect such action.”
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 its gotten progressively worse, and people are dying in alarming numbers. In NYC, at least 38 people have died in city jails under Mayor Adams’ watch. That is precisely why the federal courts have intervened and appointed an independent ‘remediation manager’ to take Rikers out of the city’s control. The State Commission of Correction could have intervened long ago to prevent the horrible conditions at Rikers that led to this point. The time to overhaul this Commission is long overdue. I thank Senate leadership for passing S856 to strengthen and diversify the State Commission on Correction to fulfill its constitutional mandate of ensuring that correctional facilities across New York are ‘safe, stable, and humane.’ The Assembly must also step up and pass the SCOC bill now!”
The Dismantling Racism Team of Congregation Beth Elohim, said: “We are thrilled that the Senate has advanced S.586 for the second year in a row. The State Commission on Correction must be empowered to undertake its constitutional authority and ensure that all local jail and state prisons are ‘safe, stable and humane.’ From Marcy prison to Rikers Island, correctional facilities are in crisis and need an effective, functioning watchdog. Jewish tradition teaches us that to save a single life, it is as if one has saved an entire world. To save lives and worlds, the Assembly should follow suit and pass this bill before the end of session.”
Kevin Beckford, Pretrial Justice Institute, said: “Including people with lived experience and public health expertise on the Commission is a game-changer for reform. It’s time.”
Husein Yatabarry, Executive Director, Muslim Community Network, said: “We thank the Senate for once again passing S.856 and standing up for transparency and accountability in our correctional system. Expanding the State Commission of Correction to include voices with lived experience and professional expertise is a necessary step toward justice. The Assembly must now act—our communities cannot afford further delay.”
Heidi Boghosian, Executive Director of the A.J. Muste Foundation for Peace and Justice, said: “We commend the Senate for honoring the rights and dignity of incarcerated New Yorkers and passing S.856 for the second year in a row. It’s time for the Assembly to move this bill out of the Corrections Committee—failure to do so is an abdication of moral responsibility.”
Amelia Scdoris, Community Organizer at Cabrini Immigrant Services of NYC, said: “For the second year in a row, the Senate has shown up for New Yorkers by passing the SCOC bill and taking a stand for the oversight we need in our jails. We thank Senate leadership for recognizing the need to bring accountability to systems that impact some of our most vulnerable neighbors. Now, it’s time for the Assembly to catch up, move this bill out of the Corrections Committee, and show that they too are committed to protecting the rights of all New Yorkers.”
Lukee Forbes, We Are Revolutionary, said: “I want to thank the New York State Senate for once again passing S.856—this is the second year in a row that they’ve chosen to stand on the side of accountability, transparency, and human dignity. But justice delayed is justice denied. The Assembly must now do its part: move this bill out of the Corrections Committee and onto the floor. Our communities, especially those most impacted by incarceration, cannot afford another year of inaction. The lives and safety of incarcerated people depend on oversight that works. The time to act is now.”
Ziyadah Amatulmatin, member of the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice, said:
“My brother died while incarcerated because of the lack of access to medical care and excessive use of force at the hands of correctional officers. My son 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. 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. 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 at stake.”
Victor Pate, a survivor of the system and Co-Director of the HALTsolitary Campaign, said: “Our Prisons and Jails have operated for far too long as sites of racism and abuse with impunity for the treatment and conditions of our incarcerated human beings. In the aftermath of the recent brutal murders of two incarcerated persons, Robert Brooks and Messiah Nantwi and countless others, as well as the illegal Corrections Officers strike that killed at least 12 people and left tens of thousands of people in solitary confinement in life threatening conditions, it is way past the time for transformational change of this deadly system. New York must create meaningful pathways of release from these deadly prisons, protect basic human rights inside, and bring greater accountability. The Senate passing S856 (Salazar) today is a critical step to bring greater transparency and accountability and we urge the Assembly to follow suit and pass A2315 (Gallagher). In this moment, we also demand DOCCS carry out the full implementation of the HALT Solitary Law, Governor Hochul expand her use of clemency, and our legislature pass Elder Parole, Fair and Timely Parole, Rights Behind Bars, Second Look Act, Earned Time Act, Marvin Mayfield Act, End Qualified Immunity, Challenging Wrongful Convictions, Treatment Court Expansion, and more this legislative session.”
Messiah Ramkissoon, Associate Executive Director of the Youth Justice Network said: “We must be real about the support needed for young people by shifting the traditional model where investments in oppressive systems have been disproportionately larger than investments in undoing them.”
Yonah Zeitz, Advocacy Director of the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice: “The New York Senate passing S.856 is a monumental step to help address the horrific and life-threatening conditions incarcerated people face in jails and prisons across New York. We thank Senator Salazar for her leadership on this issue and all the senators who voted favorably to pass this much-needed bill for the second straight year.
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 and nearly every day, another horrific scandal or crisis emerges in local jails or state prisons. Katal members, many of whom are formerly incarcerated or have loved ones currently incarcerated in jails and prisons from Buffalo to New York City, demand an overhaul of the SCOC.
Now that the Senate has passed this measure, the Assembly must do the same and move it out of the Corrections Committee. We urge the Assembly to act quickly and deliver this bill, S856 (Salazar) / A2315 (Gallagher), to the governor’s desk. With lives at stake, there is 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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