Bill Text: NY A06274 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

New York Assembly Bill 6274 (Prior Session Legislation)

Introduced

Bill Title: Directs the department of corrections and community supervision to test a program of supplying inmates with tablets for educational and recreational means.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - referred to correction [A06274 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-A06274-Introduced.html

                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          6274
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                      March 4, 2019
                                       ___________
        Introduced by M. of A. WALKER -- read once and referred to the Committee
          on Correction
        AN ACT directing the department of corrections and community supervision
          to  test  a  program of supplying inmates with tablets for educational
          and recreational means
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section  1.  Legislative  finding. The bureau of prisons offers secure
     2  email service to all federal inmates nationwide. County jails in  numer-
     3  ous  states  have  found  that  granting  inmates access to tablets with
     4  educational and recreational programs  including  secure  email  reduces
     5  idle time, improves morale and increases inmate productivity. Therefore,
     6  the  legislature finds that it would be beneficial for the department of
     7  corrections and community supervision operate a pilot  program  to  test
     8  the  benefit  of providing secure email and other electronic programs to
     9  inmates.
    10    § 2. The department of corrections  and  community  supervision  shall
    11  develop  and  implement a pilot program to test the benefit of a tablet-
    12  based portfolio of educational  and  recreation  programs,  including  a
    13  secured  email  program, to improve inmate communication with his or her
    14  family, attorney, community members  and  organizations,  and  with  the
    15  department itself. Such pilot program shall include no fewer than thirty
    16  non-internet based tablet devices providing a secure email communication
    17  program  in  addition  to  educational  and  recreational programs which
    18  consider the unique needs and circumstances  of  the  inmate  population
    19  including  factors  related  to  health, age, education, religion, voca-
    20  tional training and other determining characteristics as the  department
    21  may deem appropriate. One year after the department shall have commenced
    22  the  pilot  program  the department shall issue a report to the governor
    23  and the legislature on the impact of the pilot program on facility safe-
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD05896-01-9

        A. 6274                             2
     1  ty, inmate behavior and performance, and other indicators of  the  value
     2  of providing such tablet-based devices in the correctional setting.
     3    §  3. This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become a
     4  law.