FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, February 4, 2025
Contact: Yonah Zeitz, yonah@katalcenter.org • 347-201-2769
Follow on X @KatalCenter • #ShutRikers
Senate Bill 856 (Salazar) Advances through Senate Crime, Crime Victims, and Correction Committee
Legislation Would Expand & Diversify Membership of State Commission of Correction to Foster Greater Accountability to its Mandate
Albany, NY – Today, the New York State Senate Committee on Crime, Crime Victims, and Correction voted to favorably advance S.856 (Salazar), which expands the number of members on the State Commission of Correction (SCOC) and codifies the manner of confirmation of such members to diversify the commission. In the wake of the high-profile killing of Robert Brooks by Correctional Officers at Marcy, the bill represents a critical step to ensure that the Commission fulfills its constitutional mandate to ensure that state prisons and local jails are “safe, stable, and humane.”
The SCOC’s mandate includes ensuring that all jails and prisons in New York comply with minimum standards and constitutional obligations – otherwise, it is obligated to shut them down to prevent unsafe conditions, injuries, and deaths. Following months of advocacy by community groups and impacted community members who demand justice for the killing of Robert Brooks at Marcy Correctional Facility, there is renewed attention on the SCOC. At the local jail level, the SCOC’s inaction has led to dire consequences, most vividly on Rikers Island, which is on the verge of a federal takeover due to the constitutional violations incarcerated people face. For years, the SCOC has failed to take meaningful action to address the harmful, dangerous conditions inside jails and prisons across the state.
This legislation will expand the number of commissioners from three to nine and distribute appointments among the Governor, the Senate, the Assembly, and 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.
Community groups and directly impacted people across the state have called for Albany to pass this legislation, S856 (Salazar) /A2315 (Gallagher), and make the SCOC meet its mandate.
Quotes from elected officials, community groups, and impacted community members:
Senator Julia Salazar, Prime Bill Sponsor, said: “I’m gratified that our Committee has passed the S856 bill today and referred to Senate Finance. The bill is instrumental to the project of reforming the landscape of New York, and if passed, staggered and diverse appointments of six additional members to the State Commission of Correction will strengthen oversight and yield tangible accountability across New York’s state and local correctional facilities.”
Assemblymember Emily Gallagher, Prime Bill Sponsor, said: “The State Commission on Corrections has the legal authority to provide meaningful oversight and accountability for our state prisons and jails. We are still reeling from the horrific murder of Robert Brooks at Marcy Prison, and my office receives letters every week from people who face unspeakable violence while incarcerated. I am thrilled that this bill is advancing in the Senate, and I’m hopeful that we will see it on our next Correction Committee agenda here in the Assembly.”
Bobbi Leigh, Member of the Katal Center, said: “I have had loved ones that struggle with addiction and mental health issues that have been put behind bars where they receive absolutely no help. Incarceration does not address the real issue here, and it does not offer any type of rehabilitation for those who are battling addiction. Incarcerated people across the state are experiencing horrible violence while behind bars, as was the case with the murder of Robert Brooks at Marcy Correctional Facility. I am grateful that the Senate committee has moved bill S865 forward, which aims to strengthen the State Commission on Correction to ensure they are fulfilling their constitutional mandate to keep incarcerated people safe.”
Lah Franklin, Member of the Katal Center, said: “Rikers Island is in complete chaos. Rikers is not healthy and safe for any human being and should be immediately shut down! When I was sent to Rikers, I remember being terrified for my life. I don’t think anything can prepare you for the violence and life-threatening conditions found there. I am grateful to have made it out alive. I feel for those who are currently incarcerated, not just at Rikers but in jails and prisons across the state. The modern-day lynching of Robert Brooks at Marcy Correctional Facility shows the whole world that these carceral facilities are inhumane and killing our people. This is precisely why the state legislature must act quickly to pass legislation S865 / A5709. Today I thank the Crime Victims, Crime and Corrections Senate Committee for moving the bill and taking this bill closer to the finish line.”
Robin Lawrence, Member of the Katal Center, said: “For years, the men and women at Rikers Island have been neglected and violated of their rights as human beings. This facility is inhumane, and the people who are incarcerated there are suffering. I have loved ones and family members who have been incarcerated at Rikers, where they have failed to provide them with the proper medical attention and mental health. All of the concerns that have been raised with the Correctional Department regarding healthcare within the facility have not been addressed, and in fact, they continue to worsen. Now more than ever, state-level reforms are needed to address this crisis and hold the NYC Mayor accountable for shutting down Rikers. I thank the Crime Victims, Crime And Correction Senate Committee for moving legislation S865 to diversify and expand the State Commission on Correction, but I urge the legislature to pass this bill immediately!”
Yonah Zeitz, Advocacy Director of the Katal Center for Equity, Health, and Justice: “The passage of S856 by the Senate Crime Victims, Crime, and Correction Committee is a step in the right direction, and we thank the members who voted to advance this legislation.
Right now, the conditions in New York’s jails and prisons are horrific and life-threatening for incarcerated people. The State Commission of Correction (SCOC) has a constitutional mandate to ensure that correctional facilities across the state are ‘safe and humane,’ yet every day, another horrific scandal emerges in local jails or state prisons. The heinous killing of Robert Brooks at Marcy Correctional Facility is emblematic of the systemic issues of violence, abuse, and torture occurring under the SCOC’s watch. Katal members – many of whom are formerly incarcerated or have loved ones currently incarcerated in jails and prisons across the state – demand swift action to stem the violence and abuse, or more New Yorkers will die behind bars.
Now that the Committee has moved the bill forward, it’s time for the full Senate to take up and pass this measure. And the Assembly must do the same. We urge the Legislature to act quickly and deliver this bill, S856 (Salazar) / A2315 (Gallagher), to the governor’s desk.”
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