Establishes the parole board accountability act which requires incarcerated individuals who are released on parole, via a vote that is not unanimous, be placed in the community where one of the two board members primarily reside; establishes the procedure of which of the two board member's community the releasee shall be released to.
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
2355
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
I N A S S E M B L Y
January 16, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. HAWLEY -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Correction
AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to establishing the
parole board accountability act.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
the "parole board accountability act".
§ 2. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 259-u to
read as follows:
§ 259-U. PAROLE BOARD ACCOUNTABILITY. 1. WHERE THE BOARD VOTES THAT
AN INCARCERATED INDIVIDUAL BE RELEASED ON PAROLE, BUT SUCH VOTE IS NOT
UNANIMOUS, THE DEPARTMENT SHALL DIRECT SUCH RELEASEE BE RELEASED TO A
SHELTER, HALFWAY HOUSE, OR A TRANSITIONAL RESIDENTIAL FACILITY IN THE
COMMUNITY OF ONE OF THE TWO BOARD MEMBERS WHO VOTED IN FAVOR OF THE
RELEASEE PRIMARILY RESIDE.
2. THE COMMISSIONER SHALL RELY ON A COIN FLIP TO DETERMINE WHICH OF
THE TWO BOARD MEMBER'S COMMUNITY THE RELEASEE SHALL BE RELEASED TO. SUCH
COIN FLIP SHALL BE CONDUCTED AND MADE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE VIA LIVE STREAM
ON THE DEPARTMENT'S WEBSITE.
3. UPON THE RESULTS OF SUCH COIN FLIP PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION TWO OF
THIS SECTION, THE DEPARTMENT SHALL PLACE SUCH RELEASEE IN A SHELTER,
HALFWAY HOUSE, OR A TRANSITIONAL RESIDENTIAL FACILITY THAT IS GEOGRAPH-
ICALLY CLOSEST TO THE BOARD MEMBER'S PRIMARY RESIDENCE WHO WAS CHOSEN
PURSUANT TO SUCH COIN FLIP.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01820-01-5
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