What's happening
This bill requires the Department of Corrections to provide free, regular transportation for visitors to correctional facilities from major New York cities.
Why it matters
Reduces financial and logistical barriers. for families and friends of incarcerated individuals by mandating free, regular transportation from key urban centers, which may help maintain vital social ties and support networks for people in prison.
Aims to improve rehabilitation outcomes. by making it easier for inmates to receive regular visits, which research shows can reduce recidivism and support mental health.
Enhances transparency and accessibility. as the Department of Corrections is required to publicize transportation options online and through a designated phone number, ensuring that information is easy to find for families.
Seeks to promote fairness. by standardizing and formalizing the visitation transportation process statewide, rather than leaving it to ad hoc or inconsistent arrangements that might exist currently.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Free Prison Visit Transportation
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
History
- Print number 5693a
- Amend and recommit to crime victims, crime and correction
- Referred to crime victims, crime and correction
- Referred to crime victims, crime and 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.
Free Prison Visit Transportation
Assembly Floor Calendar · Sponsor Carmen De La Rosa
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
5693--A
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
April 26, 2017
Introduced by Sen. MONTGOMERY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Crime Victims, Crime and Correction -- recommitted to the Committee on Crime Victims, Crime and Correction in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the correction law, in relation to available transportation for correction facility visitation
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The correction law is amended by adding a new section 138-b to read as follow:
§ 138-b. Visitor transportation. In conjunction with the inmate visiting program, the department shall provide transportation for visitors to correctional facilities on a regular basis, but no less than bimonthly, at no cost to visitors. Transportation shall be provided from the city of New York, Rochester, Syracuse and Albany to correctional facilities, as determined by the commissioner. Information concerning transportation shall be posted on the department's public website, and shall be available from the telephone number designated, pursuant to section one hundred thirty-eight-a of this article. Notice of available transportation shall be provided to inmates upon reception and upon transfer to a new correctional facility.
§ 2. This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10801-03-8
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the correction law, in relation to available transporta- tion for correction facility visitation
Purpose
To restore transportation for visitors from certain cities to state correctional facilities
Summary of provisions
Section 1 adds a new section 138-b to the correction law. Section 2 provides an effective date.
Justification
From 1973 to 2011, DOCCS provided free transportation to its prisons to help families stay connected with incarcerated loved ones. Bus service ran on weekends from NYC,Rochester, Syracuse and Albany to every prison in the state. This service, unmatched by any other state corrections department, was relied upon by families who often lived far from the prisons they visited and who lacked the financial means to make such trips on their own. In early 2011, the program was terminated to save a little less than $1.5 million.
Family visits contribute to facility safety because they motivate pris- oners to complete programs and follow facility rules. Research shows that visits are an important component of managing prisoner behavior, reducing recidivism and promoting positive parent-child relationships. Data collected by the Minnesota Department of Corrections found that inmates who receive a single visit have a 13% reduction in recidivism compared to inmates who do not receive any visits. Visits also facili- tate reentry because families are often the primary source of support for housing, clothes, food and other necessities when a person is released from prison. The impact of visitation on recidivism has signif- icant cost implications, given the annual prison cost in NY is $60K per person. DOCCS should focus on increasing visitation, not making it more difficult.
For children with incarcerated parents, in-person visits have a positive impact on their emotional well-being and future life outcomes. In 2011, DOCCS reported that 72% of women and 62% of men in prison were parents. This suggests the impact of their incarceration is felt by a significant number of children. For children, visits with their incarcerated parents have proven beneficial on a number of levels and are associated with higher self-esteem, improved non-verbal IQ scores, better adjustment to school and foster care and fewer behavior problems. Increased contact between parents and children may have upfront costs, such as the bus program, but offer long-term benefits to society and to families.
Fiscal implications
Approximately $1.5 million
Local fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.