Senate Bill S731A

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S731A

SPONSOR: MONTGOMERY
 
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 138-b to the correction law. Section 2
provides an effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

From 1973 to 2011, DOCCS provided free transportation to its prisons to
help families stay connected with incarcerated loved ones. Bus service
              

ran on weekends from NYC, Rochester, Syracuse, Buffalo and Albany to
every prison in the state. This service, unmatched by any other state
corrections department, was relied upon by families who often lived far
from the prisons they visited and who 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.

Family visits contribute to facility safety because they motivate pris-
oners to complete programs and follow facility rules. Research shows
that visits are an important component of managing prisoner behavior,
reducing recidivism and promoting positive parent-child relationships.
Data collected by the Minnesota Department of Corrections found that
inmates who receive a single visit have a 13% reduction in recidivism
compared to inmates who do not receive any visits. Visits also facili-
tate reentry because families are often the primary source of support
for housing, clothes, food and other necessities when a person is
released from prison. The impact of visitation on recidivism has signif-
icant cost implications, given the annual prison cost in NY is $60K per
person. DOCCS should focus on increasing visitation, not making it more
difficult.

For children with incarcerated parents, in-person visits have a positive
impact on their emotional well-being and future 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 offer long-term benefits to society 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.