What's happening
This bill prohibits male correction officers from pat frisking female inmates except when necessary for immediate safety or to prevent escape.
Why it matters
Reduces risk of sexual harassment and trauma for female inmates. by restricting cross-gender pat frisks, except in urgent safety or escape situations, addressing longstanding concerns about dignity and personal boundaries in prison environments.
Requires correctional facilities to adjust staffing and training. , potentially increasing the need for female officers or changes in protocol to ensure compliance without compromising security.
Extends protections to county jails as well as state prisons. , meaning the rule applies broadly across New York, not just in state-run correctional facilities, which could improve uniformity and oversight in inmate treatment.
Signals a broader shift toward gender-sensitive prison policies. , aligning with recommendations from human rights organizations and court decisions about the treatment of incarcerated women.
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Who cares
Headline styles
No Male Pat-Downs for Women
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to correction
- Referred to correction
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
773
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 9, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. PRETLOW -- read once and referred to the Committee on Correction
AN ACT to amend the correction law, in relation to prohibiting male correction officers from pat frisking female inmates
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 137 of the correction law is amended by adding a new subdivision 7 to read as follows:
7. No male officer of the department shall pat frisk a female inmate in the custody of the department unless such officer has probable cause to believe that a pat frisk is necessary to protect the immediate safety of other inmates or prison employees or to prevent escape.
§ 2. Section 500-k of the correction law, as amended by chapter 2 of the laws of 2008, is amended to read as follows:
§ 500-k. Treatment of inmates. Subdivisions five [and], six and seven of section one hundred thirty-seven of this chapter, except paragraphs (d) and (e) of subdivision six of such section, relating to the treatment of inmates in state correctional facilities are applicable to inmates confined in county jails; except that the report required by paragraph (f) of subdivision six of such section shall be made to a person designated to receive such report in the rules and regulations of the state commission of correction, or in any county or city where there is a department of correction, to the head of such department.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05291-01-7
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.