Bill Text: NY A03961 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Relates to expanding eligibility for shock incarceration, successful completion of such shall make such inmate eligible for release under certain conditions.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - referred to codes [A03961 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-A03961-Introduced.html

---

                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          3961
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                    January 31, 2019
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  WEPRIN,  O'DONNELL,  STECK  -- read once and
          referred to the Committee on Correction
        AN ACT to amend the correction law and the penal  law,  in  relation  to
          eligibility for shock incarceration
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. The section heading of section 806 of the  correction  law,
     2  as  added  by  section 5 of part E of chapter 62 of the laws of 2003, is
     3  amended and a new subdivision 8 is added to read as follows:
     4    Presumptive release program [for nonviolent inmates].
     5    8. Notwithstanding any other subdivision of this section an inmate who
     6  successfully completes a shock incarceration program shall  be  eligible
     7  for presumptive release pursuant to section eight hundred sixty-seven of
     8  this chapter or section 70.40 of the penal law.
     9    § 2. Section 865 of the correction law, as added by chapter 261 of the
    10  laws  of  1987,  subdivision  1 as amended by chapter 377 of the laws of
    11  2010 and subdivision 2 as amended by section 2 of part L of  chapter  56
    12  of the laws of 2009, is amended to read as follows:
    13    § 865. Definitions. As used in this article, the following terms mean:
    14    1. "Eligible inmate" means a person sentenced to an indeterminate term
    15  of  imprisonment  who  will become eligible for release on parole within
    16  [three] five years or sentenced to a determinate  term  of  imprisonment
    17  who  will  become  eligible  for conditional release within [three] five
    18  years, who has not reached the age of [fifty] fifty-six years,  who  has
    19  not  previously been convicted of a violent felony as defined in article
    20  seventy of the penal law, or a felony in any  other  jurisdiction  which
    21  includes  all of the essential elements of any such violent felony, upon
    22  which an indeterminate or determinate term of imprisonment  was  imposed
    23  and  who was between the ages of sixteen and [fifty] fifty-five years at
    24  the time of commission of the  crime  upon  which  his  or  her  present
    25  sentence  was  based.  Notwithstanding  the  foregoing, no person who is
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD07234-01-9
        A. 3961                             2
     1  convicted of any of the following crimes shall  be  deemed  eligible  to
     2  participate in this program: (a) a [violent felony offense as defined in
     3  article  seventy of the penal law,] violent felony offense as defined in
     4  paragraph  (a) of subdivision one of section 70.02 of the penal law, (b)
     5  an A-I felony offense, (c) any homicide offense as  defined  in  article
     6  one  hundred twenty-five of the penal law, (d) any felony sex offense as
     7  defined in article one hundred thirty of  the  penal  law  and  (e)  any
     8  escape  or  absconding offense as defined in article two hundred five of
     9  the penal law.
    10    2. "Shock incarceration program" means a  program  pursuant  to  which
    11  eligible  inmates are selected to participate in the program and serve a
    12  period of six months in a  shock  incarceration  facility,  which  shall
    13  provide  rigorous  physical activity, intensive regimentation and disci-
    14  pline and rehabilitation therapy and programming. Such  inmates  may  be
    15  selected  either:  (i)  at  a  reception  center;  or  (ii) at a general
    16  confinement facility when the otherwise  eligible  inmate  then  becomes
    17  eligible  for release on parole within [three] five years in the case of
    18  an indeterminate term of imprisonment,  or  then  becomes  eligible  for
    19  conditional  release within [three] five years in the case of a determi-
    20  nate term of imprisonment.
    21    § 3. Subdivision 4 of section 867 of the correction law, as amended by
    22  chapter 738 of the laws of 2004, is amended to read as follows:
    23    4. An inmate who has  successfully  completed  a  shock  incarceration
    24  program shall be eligible to receive such a certificate of earned eligi-
    25  bility pursuant to section eight hundred five of this chapter.  Notwith-
    26  standing  any other provision of law, an inmate [sentenced to a determi-
    27  nate] serving a sentence of imprisonment who has successfully  completed
    28  a  shock  incarceration  program  shall  be  eligible  to receive such a
    29  certificate of earned eligibility and shall be immediately  eligible  to
    30  be conditionally released, paroled or presumptively released pursuant to
    31  section 70.40 of the penal law.
    32    §  4.  Subparagraph  (v)  of paragraph (a) of subdivision 1 of section
    33  70.40 of the penal law, as amended by section 127-c of subpart B of part
    34  C of chapter 62 of the laws of 2011, is amended to read as follows:
    35    (v) Notwithstanding any other subparagraph of this paragraph, a person
    36  may be paroled from the institution in which he or she  is  confined  at
    37  any  time on medical parole pursuant to section two hundred fifty-nine-r
    38  or section two hundred fifty-nine-s of the executive law or for deporta-
    39  tion pursuant to paragraph (d) of subdivision two of section two hundred
    40  fifty-nine-i of the executive law or paroled or  presumptively  released
    41  after  the successful completion of a shock incarceration program pursu-
    42  ant to article twenty-six-A of the correction law.
    43    § 5. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day  after  it  shall
    44  have become a law; provided, however, that the amendments to section 806
    45  of  the  correction law made by section one of this act shall not affect
    46  the repeal of such section and shall be deemed repealed  therewith;  and
    47  further  provided,  that the amendments to subparagraph (v) of paragraph
    48  (a) of subdivision 1 of section 70.40 of the penal law made  by  section
    49  four  of  this act shall not affect the expiration of such paragraph and
    50  shall be deemed to expire therewith.