Directs the commissioner of corrections and community supervision to establish and maintain a public website that provides information concerning specific visitation rules, regulations, policies and procedures for all correctional facilities.

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S6044A-2011 Actions

• Feb 24, 2012: PRINT NUMBER 6044A
• Feb 24, 2012: AMEND AND RECOMMIT TO CRIME VICTIMS, CRIME AND CORRECTION
• Feb 21, 2012: NOTICE OF COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION - REQUESTED
• Jan 4, 2012: REFERRED TO CRIME VICTIMS, CRIME AND CORRECTION

S6044A-2011 Meetings

Crime Victims, Crime and Correction: Mar 7, 2012

S6044A-2011 Memo

BILL NUMBER:S6044A

TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the correction law, in relation to notification of rules
and regulations of correctional facilities concerning visitors

PURPOSE:
To establish and maintain a public website that provides information
regarding specific visitation rules and regulations for all correctional
facilities.

SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Amends the correction law by adding a new section 138-a, to require that
the commissioner of the Department of Corrections and Community Super-
vision (DOCCS) establish and maintain a website that provides informa-
tion to the public concerning the visitation rules and regulations for
all correctional facilities in New York State. The website shall be
regularly updated to ensure accuracy, and shall designate a telephone
number or numbers on the website that persons may call for information
about the visiting rules at various correctional facilities.

JUSTIFICATION:
While New York's state prisons allow inmates to receive visitors, the
experience of being processed for visits varies greatly from one facili-
ty to another. When families arrive at the "wrong" time, on the "wrong"
day, or with the "wrong" clothing or identification, they may be turned
away even if they have been traveling all night with young children,
Generally, there is no recourse for a person excluded from visiting; no
one to call during the weekend to resolve the problem or elevate it to a
supervisor once the officer at the front gate says "no." This can be
especially devastating for children of incarcerated persons, who may
have anticipated the visit for weeks.

Efforts should be made to make visiting rules and schedules publicly
accessible and to better ensure that families and friends understand
visiting procedures. By establishing a website and designating a tele-
phone number to make such information available to the public, we can
ensure that visitors have access to this information prior to traveling
to a correctional facility for a visit.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
Unknown.

EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after is shall have
become law.

S6044A-2011 Text

                      S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
  ________________________________________________________________________

                                   6044--A

                              I N  SENATE

                                 (PREFILED)

                               January 4, 2012
                                 ___________

  Introduced  by  Sens.  MONTGOMERY,  DILAN,  DUANE,  OPPENHEIMER, PARKER,
    PERKINS, SAVINO, STEWART-COUSINS -- read twice  and  ordered  printed,
    and  when  printed  to be committed to the Committee on Crime Victims,
    Crime and Correction -- committee discharged,  bill  amended,  ordered
    reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee

  AN ACT to amend the correction law, in relation to notification of rules
    and regulations of correctional facilities concerning visitors

    THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
  BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:


    Section 1. The correction law is amended by adding a new section 138-a
  to read as follows:

    S 138-A. NOTIFICATION OF VISITATION POLICIES. THE COMMISSIONER OF  THE
  DEPARTMENT  OF CORRECTIONS AND COMMUNITY SUPERVISION SHALL ESTABLISH AND
  MAINTAIN ON ITS PUBLIC WEBSITE INFORMATION CONCERNING  SPECIFIC  VISITA-
  TION  RULES,  REGULATIONS, POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR EACH CORRECTIONAL
  FACILITY. SUCH INFORMATION SHALL INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO,  VISIT-
  ING  DAYS  AND  HOURS,  LENGTH  AND  NUMBER OF ALLOWABLE VISITS, MAXIMUM
  NUMBER OF PEOPLE PER VISIT,  DRESS  CODE,  GUIDELINES  FOR  PEOPLE  WITH
  MEDICAL   AND   OTHER   SPECIAL  NEEDS  INCLUDING  PHYSICAL  ACCESS  AND
  RESTRICTIONS ON MEDICATIONS WHILE IN  THE  FACILITY,  INFANT  CARE,  AND
  ITEMS  WHICH ARE RESTRICTED OR PROHIBITED BY VISITORS.  THE COMMISSIONER
  SHALL REGULARLY UPDATE THE INFORMATION PROVIDED ON THE WEBSITE  PURSUANT
  TO THIS SECTION IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT SUCH INFORMATION IS ACCURATE AND
  THAT  VISITORS  ARE  NOTIFIED  OF ANY NEW OR CHANGED RULES, REGULATIONS,
  POLICIES AND PROCEDURES. IN ADDITION, THE COMMISSIONER SHALL DESIGNATE A
  TELEPHONE NUMBER OR NUMBERS THAT PERSONS MAY CALL FOR INFORMATION  ABOUT
  THE  VISITING RULES, REGULATIONS, POLICIES AND PROCEDURES AT THE VARIOUS
  FACILITIES. SUCH TELEPHONE NUMBER OR NUMBERS SHALL ALSO BE POSTED ON THE
  WEBSITE.
    S 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day  after  it  shall
  have become a law.

   EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                        [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                             LBD13735-03-2