The New York State Senate

 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   3475
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 26, 2021
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by M. of A. DE LA ROSA, CARROLL, AUBRY, CRUZ, LAVINE, PERRY,
   KIM, GOTTFRIED, O'DONNELL, SIMON, EPSTEIN, BARRON,  REYES,  RODRIGUEZ,
   WALKER,  D. ROSENTHAL, COOK, ROZIC, PICHARDO, TAYLOR, DICKENS, JOYNER,
   L. ROSENTHAL, NIOU, FAHY, DARLING, HYNDMAN, VANEL, FERNANDEZ, GLICK --
   Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. FRONTUS, HEVESI, QUART -- read once and
   referred to the Committee on Correction
 
 AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to parole eligibility for
   certain inmates aged fifty-five or older
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Section 259-c of the executive law is amended by adding a
 new subdivision 18 to read as follows:
   18. NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER SECTION OF THE LAW, WHERE A PERSON SERV-
 ING A SENTENCE OF INCARCERATION HAS SERVED AT LEAST FIFTEEN YEARS  OF  A
 DETERMINATE  OR INDETERMINATE SENTENCE AND HAS REACHED THE AGE OF FIFTY-
 FIVE OR GREATER, THE BOARD SHALL CONDUCT  A  HEARING  PURSUANT  TO  THIS
 SECTION  AND  SECTION TWO HUNDRED FIFTY NINE-I OF THIS ARTICLE TO DETER-
 MINE WHETHER SUCH PERSON SHOULD BE RELEASED TO COMMUNITY SUPERVISION. IF
 THE BOARD DETERMINES THAT THERE IS A  REASONABLE  PROBABILITY  THAT,  IF
 SUCH PERSON IS RELEASED, HE OR SHE WILL LIVE AND REMAIN AT LIBERTY WITH-
 OUT  VIOLATING  THE  LAW AND THAT HIS OR HER RELEASE IS NOT INCOMPATIBLE
 WITH THE WELFARE OF SOCIETY, THEN THE BOARD SHALL RELEASE THE PERSON  TO
 COMMUNITY  SUPERVISION  EVEN  IF  THE  PERSON HAS NOT SERVED THE MINIMUM
 SENTENCE IMPOSED BY THE JUDGE. IF RELEASE TO  COMMUNITY  SUPERVISION  IS
 NOT GRANTED, THE INMATE SHALL BE INFORMED IN WRITING WITHIN TWO WEEKS OF
 SUCH  APPEARANCE  OF  THE  FACTORS  AND  REASONS  FOR THE DENIAL OF SUCH
 RELEASE AND THE BOARD SHALL SPECIFY A DATE  NOT  MORE  THAN  TWENTY-FOUR
 MONTHS  FROM  SUCH DETERMINATION FOR RECONSIDERATION, AND THE PROCEDURES
 TO BE FOLLOWED UPON RECONSIDERATION SHALL BE THE  SAME.  IF  RELEASE  TO
 COMMUNITY SUPERVISION IS GRANTED, THE BOARD SHALL SET RELEASE CONDITIONS
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD02819-01-1

 A. 3475                             2
 
 AND  THE  PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION SHALL OTHERWISE APPLY AS THOUGH THE
 INMATE WAS RELEASED AFTER THE COMPLETION OF HIS OR HER MINIMUM SENTENCE.
   § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
 it shall have become a law.