What's happening
This bill requires the commissioner to provide rehabilitation programs for female inmates that are comparable to those for male inmates, and changes the law's effective date to one year after enactment.
Why it matters
Shifts responsibility to the commissioner. Instead of individual wardens or facility administrators, the bill makes the state corrections commissioner responsible for ensuring rehabilitation programs for women are comparable to those for men, potentially increasing statewide accountability and consistency.
Clarifies and broadens the mandate. The language now requires an “array” of programs (vocational, academic, industrial, etc.) to be available across facilities, not just matching programs at individual sites but ensuring equitable opportunities system-wide for female inmates.
Allows more preparation time. By changing the effective date from 60 days to one year after enactment, the bill gives the corrections department more time to plan, allocate resources, and implement the changes, which could improve the quality and reach of new or expanded programs.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Equal Rehab for Women Prisoners
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
Assembly Member · Assembly District 25
3 Co-sponsors
History
- Substituted by S7281
- Advanced to third reading cal.805
- Reported
- Reported referred to ways and means
- Referred to correction
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Equal Rehab for Women Inmates
Signed by Governor · Sponsor Jamaal Bailey
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
8959
IN ASSEMBLY
January 9, 2018
Introduced by M. of A. ROZIC -- read once and referred to the Committee on Correction
AN ACT to amend the correction law and a chapter of the laws of 2017 amending the correction law relating to assuring rehabilitation programs for female inmates are equivalent to programs afforded male inmates, as proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 3498 and A. 2534, in relation to making certain technical corrections thereto
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 114 of the correction law, as added by a chapter of the laws of 2017 amending the correction law relating to assuring rehabilitation programs for female inmates are equivalent to programs afforded male inmates, as proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 3498 and A. 2534, is amended to read as follows:
§ 114. Rehabilitation programs for women; to be commensurate to those afforded men. [In any state correctional facility in which women are detained it shall be the duty of the warden or the chief administrative officer of such facility to assure that such women be provided equivalent programs of rehabilitation, including but not limited to vocational, academic and industrial programs, within the appropriation made therefor, as are provided to male inmates of correctional facilities elsewhere in the state.] It shall be the duty of the commissioner to assure an array of rehabilitation programs are provided among the correctional facilities in which female inmates are confined, within the appropriations made therefor, including but not limited to vocational, academic and industrial programs, which are comparable to the programs provided to male inmates during the course of their incarceration.
§ 2. Section 2 of a chapter of the laws of 2017 amending the correction law relating to assuring rehabilitation programs for female inmates are equivalent to programs afforded male inmates, as proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 3498 and A. 2534, is amended to read as follows:
§ 2. This act shall take effect [on the sixtieth day] one year after it shall have become a law; provided that the commissioner of
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05038-03-7
A. 8959 2
corrections and community supervision is authorized to promulgate any and all rules and regulations and take any other measures necessary to implement the provisions of this act on its effective date on or before such effective date.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately; provided that section one of this act shall take effect on the same date and in the same manner as a chapter of the laws of 2017 amending the correction law relating to assuring rehabilitation programs for female inmates are equivalent to programs afforded male inmates, as proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 3498 and A. 2534, takes effect.
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.