Creates parity for incarcerated individual telephone services for international calls to family members outside continental United States, Canada, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam or Central Northern Mariana Islands by requiring identical restrictions on the duration or number of phone calls and use of unit or facility phones made available to incarcerated individuals who are calling family members who are not outside continental United States, Canada, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam or Central Northern Mariana Islands.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A2608
SPONSOR: Gibbs TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the correction law, in relation to creating parity for
incarcerated individual telephone services for international calls to
family members
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
The purpose of this bill is to create parity and ensure access for
incarcerated individuals telephone services when making international
calls.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1.(a): Amends subdivision 4 of section 623 of the correction
law, as amended by chapter 322 of the laws of 2021 to establish rules
and regulations or department procedure to ensure that any individual
phone call system can provide reasonable security measure to preserve
the safety.
Section 1 (b) states that such rules and regulations shall not impose
different restrictions on the duration, the number of calls, or the use
of unit or facility phones when calling a family member outside of the
United States, Canada, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam or Central
Mariana Islands.
JUSTIFICATION:
Many of New York State's incarcerated individuals have family and
friends living abroad. In 2021, DOCCs reported that 10% of incarcerated
individuals are foreign-born.* Incarcerated Individuals have a right to
call home to inform their family of their safety and well-being while
being in a correctional facility. It has been reported that incarcerated
individuals who need to make international phone calls get fewer calls
monthly, less time to make calls, and less access to phones to make such
calls. This bill will ensure uniformity and parity for incarcerated
individuals' to make international phone calls across the State's
correctional facilities.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2024 A6417 - referred to correction
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
To be determined.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have
become law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal
of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act
on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or
before such effective date.
