Bill Text: NY A03890 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Enables victims and relatives of victims to view parole hearings via closed circuit television or a secure online website.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-3)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - referred to correction [A03890 Detail]
Download: New_York-2019-A03890-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 3890 2019-2020 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY January 31, 2019 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. DenDEKKER -- read once and referred to the Committee on Correction AN ACT to amend the executive law and the criminal procedure law, in relation to enabling victims to view parole hearings via closed circuit television or a secure online website The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 259-c of the executive law is amended by adding a 2 new subdivision 18 to read as follows: 3 18. permit victims and relatives of victims to view an inmate's parole 4 hearing relating to their case via closed circuit television or a secure 5 online website. 6 § 2. Subdivision 3 of section 641 of the executive law, as added by 7 chapter 94 of the laws of 1984 and paragraph (d) as amended by chapter 8 618 of the laws of 1992, is amended to read as follows: 9 3. Ensure notification of victims, witnesses, relatives of those 10 victims and witnesses who are minors, and relatives of homicide victims, 11 if such persons provide the appropriate official with a current address 12 and telephone number, either by phone or by mail, if possible, of judi- 13 cial proceedings relating to their case, including: 14 (a) the arrest of an accused; 15 (b) the initial appearance of an accused before a judicial officer; 16 (c) the release of an accused pending judicial proceedings; [and] 17 (d) proceedings in the prosecution of the accused including entry of a 18 plea of guilty, trial, sentencing, but prior to sentencing specific 19 information shall be provided regarding the right to seek restitution 20 and reparation, and where a term of imprisonment is imposed, specific 21 information shall be provided regarding maximum and minimum terms of 22 such imprisonment; and 23 (e) the date and time of any parole hearing as well as the location at 24 which the victim and relatives of the victim may view the hearing on EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD07840-01-9A. 3890 2 1 closed circuit television or the secure online website on which the 2 hearing may be viewed. 3 § 3. Subdivision 1 of section 440.50 of the criminal procedure law, as 4 amended by chapter 193 of the laws of 2017, is amended to read as 5 follows: 6 1. Upon the request of a victim of a crime, or in any event in all 7 cases in which the final disposition includes a conviction of a violent 8 felony offense as defined in section 70.02 of the penal law, a felony 9 defined in article one hundred twenty-five of such law, or a felony 10 defined in article one hundred thirty of such law, the district attorney 11 shall, within sixty days of the final disposition of the case, inform 12 the victim by letter of such final disposition. If such final disposi- 13 tion results in the commitment of the defendant to the custody of the 14 department of corrections and community supervision for an indeterminate 15 sentence, the notice provided to the crime victim shall also inform the 16 victim of his or her right to submit a written, audiotaped, or vide- 17 otaped victim impact statement to the department of corrections and 18 community supervision or to meet personally with a member of the state 19 board of parole at a time and place separate from the personal interview 20 between a member or members of the board and the inmate and make such a 21 statement, subject to procedures and limitations contained in rules of 22 the board, both pursuant to subdivision two of section two hundred 23 fifty-nine-i of the executive law. A copy of such letter shall be 24 provided to the board of parole. The right of the victim under this 25 subdivision to submit a written victim impact statement or to meet 26 personally with a member of the state board of parole applies to each 27 personal interview between a member or members of the board and the 28 inmate. The notice to the victim shall also inform the victim of his or 29 her right to view the defendant's parole hearing on closed circuit tele- 30 vision or over a secure online website and shall inform the victim of 31 the intended date and time of the parole hearing as well as the location 32 or website address at which the victim may view the hearing. 33 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
