What's happening
This bill requires that inmates in certain types of confinement be allowed at least one personal phone call within 24 hours and weekly thereafter, unless it poses a safety risk.
Why it matters
Maintaining Family and Community Ties. By guaranteeing at least one personal phone call within 24 hours and weekly thereafter for inmates in restrictive confinement, the bill helps preserve connections to family and support networks, which research shows reduces recidivism and supports rehabilitation.
Mental Health and Well-being. Regular personal contact can alleviate the psychological stress of solitary and segregated confinement, potentially reducing incidents of self-harm, mental health deterioration, and behavioral problems among inmates.
Transparency and Accountability. The requirement for phone access unless there is a clear safety risk sets a new baseline for humane treatment and increases accountability for correctional facilities, making it harder for institutions to arbitrarily deny communication.
Balancing Security with Rights. The bill explicitly allows for exceptions if a phone call would pose an unacceptable safety risk, ensuring that institutional security needs can still be met while establishing a strong presumption of access.
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Who cares
Inmates in disciplinary confinement or keeplock pending a hearing
The bill would permit at least one personal phone call within 24 hours of confinement and weekly thereafter, subject to a safety and security exception.
Inmates in administrative segregation or residential mental health treatment units
The same initial and weekly personal phone call access would apply to these placements.
Correctional administrators and staff
They would need to provide the required phone access unless doing so would create an unacceptable risk to inmate or staff safety and security.
Headline styles
Guarantee Inmate Phone Calls
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
Assembly Member · Assembly District 25
13 Co-sponsors
History
- Signed chap.261
- Delivered to governor
- Returned to assembly
- Passed senateVote 56–5
- 3rd reading cal.25
- Substituted for S1850
- Referred to crime victims, crime and correction
- Delivered to senate
- Passed assembly
- Advanced to third reading cal.28
- Reported
- 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.
Allow Inmate Phone Calls
Senate Floor Calendar · Sponsor Luis R. Sepúlveda
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
2285
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 22, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. ROZIC, BARRON, BLAKE, GOTTFRIED, JAFFEE, MOSLEY, O'DONNELL, PICHARDO, QUART, STIRPE, WRIGHT -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. COLTON, COOK, CRESPO, DAVILA, LUPARDO, PERRY, RIVERA, SIMON -read once and referred to the Committee on Correction
AN ACT to amend the correction law, in relation to personal phone calls for inmates in certain circumstances
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 6 of section 137 of the correction law is amended by adding a new paragraph (g) to read as follows:
(g) Within twenty-four hours of disciplinary confinement, keeplock pending a disciplinary hearing, placement in a segregated confinement unit for administrative purposes, or placement in a residential mental health treatment unit, and at weekly intervals thereafter for the duration of such confinement, an inmate shall be permitted to make at least one personal phone call, except when to do so would create an unacceptable risk to the safety and security of inmates or staff.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00815-02-9
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.