Bill Text: NY S02698 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relates to the establishment of an inmate visitation program, which gives inmates opportunities for personal contact with relatives, friends, clergy, volunteers and other persons to promote better institutional adjustment and better community adjustment upon release.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2020-01-08 - REFERRED TO CRIME VICTIMS, CRIME AND CORRECTION [S02698 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-S02698-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          2698
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                    IN SENATE
                                    January 28, 2019
                                       ___________
        Introduced by Sen. SEPULVEDA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed  to  be committed to the Committee on Crime Victims, Crime and
          Correction
        AN ACT to amend the correction law, in relation to the establishment  of
          an inmate visitation program
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. The correction law is amended by adding a new section 138-b
     2  to read as follows:
     3    § 138-b. Inmate  visitation  program.  State  and  local  correctional
     4  facilities  shall  provide inmate visitation programs which give inmates
     5  opportunities for personal  contact  with  relatives,  friends,  clergy,
     6  volunteers  and other persons to promote better institutional adjustment
     7  and  better  community  adjustment  upon  release.  Such  program  shall
     8  include,  but  not be limited to, (a) visiting hours that are reasonably
     9  likely to accommodate persons  traveling  from  within  the  state,  (b)
    10  visits  of sufficient duration so that visitors and inmates will be able
    11  to maintain relationship bonds, and (c) a published overcrowding  policy
    12  that is equitable with due consideration to the distance traveled by the
    13  visitor.  Video  visitation may supplement, but shall not take the place
    14  of, in-person visitation. No inmate is to be visited against his or  her
    15  will by any person.
    16    § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
    17  it shall have become a law.
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD08552-01-9