FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, June 6, 2024
Contact: Yonah Zeitz, yonah@katalcenter.org • 347-201-2769
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New York State Senate Passes Bill to Expand and Strengthen the State Commission of Correction (S5877A) on Final Day of Session
Community Groups and Directly Impacted New Yorkers Applaud the State Senate, Call on Assembly to Act
Albany, NY: Today, the New York State Senate passed S5877A(Salazar), which expands the number of members on the State Commission of Correction from three to nine and codifies the manner of confirmation of such members to diversify the commission. The bill now must pass in the Assembly.
Earlier today, the Assembly Ways and Means Committee passed this bill, which is now in the Assembly Rules Committee.
Quotes from elected officials and community groups:
Senator Julia Salazar, Prime Bill Sponsor, said: “By making the SCOC more independent, accountable, and effective, this structural reform also will make our corrections system safer, more just, and more humane. I thank the broad coalition of advocates behind the bill, I applaud my senate colleagues for passing it today, I strongly urge our partners in Assembly to pass the version of the legislation carried by Assemblymember Emily Gallagher, and I ask the Governor to sign it into law when it reaches her desk.”
Statement from Yonah Zeitz, Advocacy Director of the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice: “The Senate’s passage of S5877A on the last day of session is a monument step to address the extraordinary problems and life-threatening conditions in jails and prisons across the state. We thank Senator Salazar for her leadership on this issue and all the Senators who voted favorably to pass this timely and much-needed bill.
New York needs and deserves an effective independent watchdog for its correctional facilities. That is why the State Commission of Correction was initially established, and it’s great to see the Senate work to bring it back to fulfilling its purpose. Community groups and directly impacted New Yorkers have fought for decades to address the dire conditions incarcerated people and staff face in jails from Buffalo to New York City. This passage is a testament to this organizing and advocacy. We urge the Assembly to swiftly follow suit and pass this proposal and deliver the bill to the governor’s desk for her signature.”
For more information about the bill, read this op-ed from Sunday’s Daily News.
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