Tell Hochul to sign these bills to improve deplorable prison conditions

Friend –

Imagine being unable to afford basic hygiene items. Think about what it would feel like to travel for hours to see your loved one, only to be turned away because you happen to be on your period. Put yourself in the shoes of someone who is shackled while they give birth.

Incarcerated and detained New Yorkers and their families confront these kinds of injustices every day.

They deserve fair and humane treatment.

During the last state legislative session, lawmakers passed five bills that will improve the lives of tens of thousands of people impacted by our criminal legal system. Governor Hochul must sign these without delay.

TAKE ACTION: Tell Governor Hochul to sign these bills to improve prison conditions.

Tampons Are Not Contraband

An untold number of New Yorkers have been barred from visiting their incarcerated loved ones because corrections officers wrongfully identified menstrual products that showed up during body scans as contraband. Lawmakers passed the Tampons Aren't Contraband Act, which allows people to visit while using menstrual products or contraceptive devices.

Facilitating Critical Visits

Not only do in-person visits improve mental health and help families stay together, but they also make it less likely someone will be arrested after they are released from prison. The Protect In-Person Visits bill prevents prisons and jails from replacing in-person visits with video calls and requires weekend or evening visiting hours to support working families and school-aged children.

Cracking Down on Inflated Commissary Prices

Prison commissaries are a lifeline for people in prison who have few other options for buying critical goods. But low wages and inflated prices create hardship for incarcerated people and the family members who support them. A bill passed by the legislature would limit the cost of commissary items.

Stop Shackling Pregnant and Postpartum New Yorkers

Our state has restricted the use of shackles on pregnant and postpartum New Yorkers in jails and prisons. A bill passed by the legislature would extend this crucial protection to other custodial settings – including courthouses, police stations, and hospitals. It would also prohibit unnecessary force against pregnant and postpartum people in prisons and jails.

Reducing the Harm of Mandatory Minimums

Mandatory minimum sentences – which tie a judge's hands by requiring a minimum sentence that usually means some amount of prison time – have created a host of problems. They lead to wrongful convictions and forced guilty pleas, fueling mass incarceration. The Guilty Pleas bill would reduce New York's reliance on mandatory minimums and help create a fairer legal system.

Tell Governor Hochul: We need these bills to help create true public safety for all New Yorkers.

Thank you for fighting for the rights of incarcerated New Yorkers.

Bernadette Rabuy
Pronouns: she, her, hers
Senior Policy Counsel, NYCLU