What's happening
This bill authorizes a study on the treatment and conditions of aging prison populations in New York, recommending ways to ensure humane care.
Why it matters
The study will generate detailed demographic and health data. on elderly inmates, including sentence types, parole eligibility, race, gender, and regional backgrounds—providing a clearer picture of who is affected and helping target reforms.
It will assess the adequacy of current and future resources. such as specialized housing, medical care, and programs—for older prisoners, highlighting gaps in care and projecting needs up to 20 years ahead as the prison population ages.
The bill requires examination of staff training and oversight practices. for working with elderly inmates, potentially prompting improvements in how correctional officers are prepared to deal with age-related vulnerabilities and disabilities.
By mandating a formal report and recommendations to lawmakers and the governor. , the bill could drive legislative or policy changes aimed at improving humane treatment and safeguarding the rights of older people in New York’s correctional system.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Study Aging Prisoners' Treatment
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
History
- Ordered to third reading cal.15
- Advanced to third reading cal.468
- 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.
Study Aging Prisoners' Needs
In Senate Committee · Crime Victims, Crime And Correction · Sponsor Kevin S. Parker
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
346
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled)
January 9, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. JOYNER, SIMON, BARRON -- read once and referred to the Committee on Correction
AN ACT authorizing a study by the New York state department of corrections and community supervision to study the treatment of aging prison populations and make recommendations for ensuring humane treatment of such populations
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The department of corrections and community supervision shall undertake a study of the treatment, conditions and prevalence of aging prison populations and what plans, if any, such department has to provide for this increasing segment of the inmate population. The study shall include but not be limited to the following:
(a) a profile of the current elderly inmate population and statistics relating to its demographics including length and type of sentence, age at parole eligibility, race, gender, region of commitment, commitment crime and any other data that may describe such population;
(b) projected inmate populations for elderly inmates for the next five, ten and twenty years;
(c) factors contributing to the growth in the number and proportion of elderly inmates;
(d) whether, and to what extent, older prison populations are being provided with adequate or specialized housing, medical care, and specialized programs that respond to their unique needs and vulnerabilities, such as the need for wheelchair accessibility or accommodations relating to diminished mental or physical capacity, including a profile of such housing, medical care and programs currently provided to elderly inmates and a projection of such provisions that will be needed five, ten and twenty years hence;
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00062-01-9
A. 346 2
(e) provision of specialized training for corrections officers working with older inmates including what training is currently provided; and
(f) a profile of classification and facilities assigned to such inmates including what institutional oversight, if any, exists to ensure the welfare of older inmates within each correctional facility.
§ 2. The department of corrections and community supervision shall make a report to the governor and the legislature of the information required under section one of this act, its findings and conclusions, and any legislative recommendations it deems necessary no later than one year after the effective date of this act.
§ 3. To the maximum extent feasible, the department of corrections and community supervision shall be entitled to request and receive and shall utilize and be provided with such facilities, resources and data of any court, department, division, board, bureau, commission or agency of the state or any political subdivision thereof as it may reasonably request to carry out properly its responsibilities pursuant to this act.
§ 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
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.