NY State Senate Bill 2023-S9057

Senate Bill S9057

2023-2024 Legislative Session

Directs the department of corrections and community supervision to conduct a comprehensive study on deaths in correctional facilities within New York state

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Crime Victims, Crime And Correction Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Apr 15, 2024	referred to crime victims, crime and correction

2023-S9057 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A9552
Current Committee:: Senate Crime Victims, Crime And Correction
Law Section:: Correctional Services

2023-S9057 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Directs the department of corrections and community supervision to conduct a comprehensive study on deaths in correctional facilities within New York state to provide data-driven insights and recommendations to improve prison conditions, healthcare, and policies to prevent future tragedies.

2023-S9057 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S9057

SPONSOR: SANDERS
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act directing the department of corrections and community supervision
to conduct a comprehensive study on deaths in correctional facilities
within New York state

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:  To address the persistently high
number of deaths in New York's correctional facilities by conducting a
study to identify systemic issues and recommend improvements for the
health and safety of incarcerated individuals.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 mandates the Department of Corrections and.Community Super-
vision (DOCCS) to conduct a comprehensive study on deaths within New
York state correctional facilities over the past decade, assessing the
causes of death, adequacy of mental health and medical services, identi-
fying patterns indicating systemic issues, evaluating the effectiveness
of current policies, and recommending improvements.

Section 2 requires DOCCS to submit a report detailing the findings and
recommendations from the study to the Governor, the temporary president
of the Senate, and the Speaker of the Assembly within one year of the
act's effective date.

Section 3 sets an effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

In New York State prisons, someone dies every three days, a stark
increase from the rate in 1976 of one death every twelve days.  Detailed
on June 29, 2023 in an online news article by THE CITY, this pattern has
persisted, with 111 deaths in 2022 and consistent figures in the preced-
ing years, 134 in 2021, 115 in 2020, 113 in 2019, and 137 in 2018. A
2021 study by the Center for Justice at Columbia University further
contextualizes the gravity of the situation, noting that the past decade
has seen more deaths in state custody than the total number of
executions over the 364 years that the death penalty was in effect in
New York.

This legislation would require a comprehensive study to delve into these
high mortality rates, seeking to understand their causes and the effec-
tiveness of current health and safety protocols. This study will evalu-
ate the effectiveness of current health and safety protocols and conduct
a comprehensive review of healthcare services and institutional prac-
tices. The goal is to generate well-considered recommendations aimed at
improving the health and safety of those incarcerated, demonstrating a
deliberate and informed effort to address this significant issue.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:.

None.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2023-S9057 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   9057
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              April 15, 2024
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. SANDERS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Crime Victims,  Crime  and
   Correction
 
 AN ACT directing the department of corrections and community supervision
   to  conduct a comprehensive study on deaths in correctional facilities
   within New York state

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  The  department  of corrections and community supervision
 shall conduct a comprehensive study on deaths in correctional facilities
 within New York state to provide data-driven  insights  and  recommenda-
 tions  to improve prison conditions, healthcare, and policies to prevent
 future tragedies. Such study shall:
   1. Determine the number and causes of deaths in New York state correc-
 tional facilities over the past decade;
   2. Assess the adequacy of the mental health and medical services with-
 in correctional facilities;
   3. Identify any patterns or trends  in  the  data  that  may  indicate
 systemic issues or areas needing improvement;
   4.  Evaluate  the effectiveness of existing policies and procedures in
 preventing deaths in custody; and
   5. Recommend measures to improve the health and safety of incarcerated
 individuals.
   § 2. Within one year of the effective date of this act, the department
 of corrections and community supervision shall issue  a  report  of  the
 findings  of  the  study to the governor, the temporary president of the
 senate and the speaker of the assembly.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
 
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD14880-01-4

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