Senate Bill S5693A

                                 BILL NUMBER:  S5693

 TITLE OF BILL :

An act to amend the correction law, in relation to available
transportation for correction facility visitation

 PURPOSE :

To restore transportation for visitors from certain cities to state
correctional facilities

 SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS :

Section 1 adds a new section 114 to the correction law.

Section 2 provides an effective date.

 JUSTIFICATION :

From 1973 to 2011, NYS DOCCS provided free transportation to its
prisons to help families stay connected. Bus service ran on weekends
from NYC, Rochester, Syracuse and Albany to every prison in the state.
This service, unmatched by any other state corrections department, was
relied on by families that were often far from the prison they visited
and lacked the financial means to make such trips on their own. In
              

early 2011, the program was terminated to save a little less than $1.5
million.

For corrections staff, family visits contribute to facility safety
because they motivate prisoners to complete programs and follow
facility rules. For inmates, their families, and for the public,
research shows that prison visits are integral to managing
incarcerated people's behavior, reducing recidivism and promoting
positive parent-child relationships. Data collected by the Minnesota
Department of Corrections found that those who receive visits -
especially from siblings, in-laws, fathers and clergy - reduce their
chances of committing a subsequent crime resulting in incarceration by
as much as 13 percent. Such visits also facilitate reentry because
families are often the primary source of support for housing, clothes,
food and other necessities. The impact of visitation on recidivism
reduction has significant cost implications, given the annual prison
cost in NY is $60K per person. By focusing on ways to increase
visiting, DOCCS can better leverage the positive benefits of visiting
to the incarcerated populations.

For children with incarcerated parents, in-person visits have a
positive impact on their emotional well-being and future educational
and other life outcomes. In 2011, DOCCS reported that 72% of women and
62% of men in prison were parents. This suggests the impact of their
incarceration is felt by a significant number of children. For
children, visits with their incarcerated parents have proven
beneficial on a number of levels and are associated with higher
self-esteem, improved non-verbal IQ scores, better adjustment to
school and foster care and fewer behavior problems. Increased contact
between parents and children may have upfront costs, such as the bus
program, but doing so offers longterm benefits to the state and to
families.

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :

Approximately $1.5 million

 LOCAL FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :

None.
 EFFECTIVE DATE :
This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become law.