[{"_1":2,"_109":-5,"_110":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6611306,"mediaKeyId","2898421-5d4948f75cebb111e28c3b7645e64c18","parentId",2898421,"title","Nine bills on corrections, victims and facility oversight reported out of Senate committee","audioSeconds",1975,"startMs",48000,"endMs",2023000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2898421-5d4948f75cebb111e28c3b7645e64c18&start=48&end=2023","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2898421-5d4948f75cebb111e28c3b7645e64c18/thumbnail_48000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6611306/New-York/Nine-bills-on-corrections-victims-and-facility-oversight-reported-out-of-Senate-committee","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6611306-0cb61b67e827771efc0669a3a952039f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771136191&Signature=LIurEtv7n4pspO3LGC-rdRNiA7NbdwQ3r5KyS0sI4juGyPMMNE~1TQR-Dh8uqzxQQ-00NetwA8S816r3WAXwC-SHK3LmjRALdtx6LS6dPwW-80qLZrw~sONXhPACCkowJ8OVtfehhDsgsWLtxiiXRuN64lqINgCFA22NL7oS2MJrHiCG1JJ~oe578OzrkYnPM1lSUHoROjEAOiGLAJ7yui771aF-lFueEtAnPkKJP7KkdgBx~CE65pWeZOqsF2u02h41X0ykSkkUsHaD-ouJYvI-PJ~cSBb3cSyA6HkjpbwnuIZJ-G~~NNg6hTC-hMliaYEcGkxKUpGwPCksRkDv7Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","New York - Crime Victims, Crime And Correction","date","2025-04-08T16:08:29.1Z","article","The Senate Standing Committee on Crime Victims' Crime and Correction reported nine bills from its agenda to subsequent committees, according to the hearing transcript. Several items drew substantive discussion; others were moved with brief comments and unanimous voice votes.

Bills reported and committee actions recorded in the hearing record:

- S.159 (Fair and Timely Parole Bill) — an act to amend the executive law in relation to findings of the State Board of Parole; motion moved by Senator Parkham, seconded by Senator Jamaal Bailey; reported to finance (see separate article for extended debate).

- S.342 (Earned Time Act) — an act to amend the correction law and the penal law in relation to the early release of incarcerated individuals; motion moved by Senator Bailey, seconded by Senator Hartman; reported to \"Coates.\" Committee discussion included questions about vesting, stacking of allowances, eligibility for shock incarceration and whether people convicted of serious felonies could earn credits.

- S.394 (Plenency Justice Act) — an act to establish application-processing and review requirements for reprieves, commutations and pardons; motion moved by Senator Harkam, seconded by Senator Bailey; reported to finance (see separate article for discussion).

- S.3853 — directs the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision to conduct a comprehensive study on deaths in correctional facilities within the state; motion to move the bill was recorded as moved by Senator Murray and seconded by Senator Wollaston; reported to finance.

- S.4520 — would amend correction law relating to the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision’s role in planning and facilitating discharge/release to the community; motion moved by Senator Rollison, seconded by Senator Hargham; reported to finance. Committee members voiced support for planning to reduce recidivism.

- S.4906 — would permit certain victim statements to be taken at a victim’s workplace rather than the police department; motion moved by Senator Hartham and seconded by Senator Bailey; reported (committee record shows a voice vote sequence and the clerk recorded the bill as moved).

- S.6389 — directs the Commissioner of Corrections and Community Supervision to study gender disparity in resources provided to incarcerated individuals; motion moved by Senator Bailey and seconded by Senator Harcombe; reported to finance.

- S.6390 — would require the Commissioner of Corrections and Community Supervision to make facility water testing results accessible to the public, incarcerated individuals and correctional staff; motion moved by Senator Murray, seconded by Senator Bailey; reported to finance. Senators highlighted water quality concerns and referenced Flint, Mich., as a policy precedent.

- S.6442 — would direct the Division of Criminal Justice Services to study gender disparity in sentencing outcomes; motion moved by Senator Bailey, seconded by Senator Harcombe; reported to finance.

For the bills with brief commentary, the transcript records positive or supportive remarks from committee members and unanimous voice votes recorded by the clerk. Where the transcript included more substantive questioning (notably S.159, S.342 and S.394), staff and sponsors were asked to clarify statutory language, eligibility criteria and how victims’ input would be weighed. In every case the clerk recorded the committee as reporting the bills to the next committee listed in the hearing record (finance or \"Coates\").","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Standing Committee on Crime Victims, Crime and Correction - 04/08/2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Senate Standing Committee on Crime Victims' Crime and Correction moved nine bills to the next stage of review. Several bills received brief discussion; committee votes to report each measure were recorded in the hearing transcript.","taxTitle","Crime Victims, Crime And Correction, Standing Committee, Senate, Legislative, New York","taxId",25192,"location","New York","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6611310,"Committee advances bill to standardize clemency review; members question scope",261,1375000,1636000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2898421-5d4948f75cebb111e28c3b7645e64c18&start=1375&end=1636","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2898421-5d4948f75cebb111e28c3b7645e64c18/thumbnail_1375000.jpg","/articles/6611310/New-York/Committee-advances-bill-to-standardize-clemency-review-members-question-scope","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6611310-163f71d1f83560bc3cf3225f5718f743/orig.mp4?Expires=1771136192&Signature=YrBwpOtInYw6-4ny~TelBWFK8EsheDampcn4-ya9akTdkxu7n67qGM-hlofBxwJ3Q1fYWslLjFSgEM4KXnoFpx98-0OHpFaSVkFfHGDfg-smQmckyX~P15y7i-j-DS8m9pZxbtgC4qlUZk0Bl9v~A4bSvMJ0OjHv8f~DAsoNe0jOGcSNb-JhrQAJcPt25~tGQgmWU8XzjO1hqGq1VvcSKkM9~dX-msW0m7sMMKCyvuZ2B2~ritYIuBPNZh7pXSnAejNKNZMRcBmzVeOZ0BfIwaZrFjyk3nxY-25KBcECjDkj2iEw2Gcv116B7wExoYEBJF6DUXLUDtrRTeUfnaReOQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","S.394, legislation to establish application-processing and review requirements for reprieves, commutations and pardons, was advanced out of the Senate Standing Committee on Crime Victims' Crime and Correction and reported to the finance committee after brief debate about the bill’s purpose and limits.

The bill’s sponsor described the measure as intended to bring transparency and fairness to the clemency process. A committee staff speaker provided plain-language definitions during the hearing: \"Pardon is forgiveness by the governor for a crime committed,\" the staff speaker said, adding that \"commutation is a reduction in a prison sentence\" and that a \"reprieve is a temporary suspension or delay in the implementation of the criminal sentence ordered by the court.\" Those definitions were provided to frame how the bill would create application-processing standards.

Senator Dean Murray and other members questioned using language in the bill’s justification that highlighted high incarceration rates and long sentences, and asked whether the bill would permit clemency for violent offenders, including homicide and sexual offenses. Committee leaders and the sponsor clarified that the governor retains clemency authority and that the bill is intended to add transparency to how applications are processed rather than to narrow or expand the governor’s constitutional powers.

Murray said the timing—during National Crime Victims’ Rights Week—made him concerned about whether victims’ perspectives would receive sufficient weight. Committee leaders noted that victims’ input would still be part of clemency consideration and that the bill does not remove victims’ ability to submit material.

The committee voted to report S.394 to the finance committee. The record shows the motion to move the bill was made by Senator Harkam and seconded by Senator Bailey; the committee clerk recorded the bill as reported to finance. No amendments were recorded on the hearing record.","S.394, described in committee as the 'Plenency Justice Act,' was reported to finance. Senators asked whether the bill would limit or change the governor’s clemency authority and whether the proposal could apply to people convicted of violent offenses.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6611315,"Committee advances Earned Time Act after questions on eligibility and stacking of allowances",564,796000,1360000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2898421-5d4948f75cebb111e28c3b7645e64c18&start=796&end=1360","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2898421-5d4948f75cebb111e28c3b7645e64c18/thumbnail_796000.jpg","/articles/6611315/New-York/Committee-advances-Earned-Time-Act-after-questions-on-eligibility-and-stacking-of-allowances","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6611315-645049328e93a210bf0d223b392588ad/orig.mp4?Expires=1771136192&Signature=adnssq4HP~BJyEwLoRt8-0bQVCnoL3AiX7FKZObDEDmlceNnen3vTtOsJbnzHUE6Nn8SAjjSVpcHgel8y6t2GQrUNdsTdqK~HESCp6DZI75WhOPS4s6jM-t4419f92vgk-IUyKjNmlV7uhTqVRzgxevVJW-i0vd73YoTNG1ZDSLaVtovr0NpYgt7OU6LwKihGme2Qoze2pAynUch~JOVnVEVrmxLdzRS9KtWyI3I-SnroGc1CSW-hzBj3P-07AuINGwzFfr5-2W-Nu~4Cl5ivdiEJLwcUfqHU82x7dVmU9bzgs2XfxBeAe8t2EdM8kCD2PhrMeYo9jaR7lVW4r5jYA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Senate Standing Committee on Crime Victims' Crime and Correction reported S.342, the Earned Time Act, to the committee identified in the hearing record (referred to in the transcript as \"Coates\"). The bill would amend the correction law and the penal law to change when and how incarcerated individuals earn time off their sentences.

Committee members sought clarification about how the bill distinguishes between \"good time\" and \"meritorious time\" (also referenced in the transcript as \"merit time\" or similar terms), whether earned time would vest on an annual basis, and whether certain serious convictions would prevent participation in programs such as shock incarceration. A staff member identified in the hearing as Gabrielle provided a general overview, saying the bill makes a distinction between good time and meritorious allowances, increases the amount an incarcerated person could potentially earn, and would protect earned time once it vests on an annual basis rather than allowing that accrued time to be lost when someone is transferred or subject to administrative action.

Senators also asked about the bill’s treatment of shock incarceration (a six-month program under current law). Committee discussion showed uncertainty about whether the sponsor intended to broaden eligibility; the transcript records that the sponsor had removed eligibility limits in the draft that would make more individuals eligible, and staff said intent could be clarified.

A committee member raised a fact pattern to clarify vesting: if an incarcerated person earned nine years of good time and then committed an in-prison disciplinary infraction in year 10, the bill would protect the previously vested allowances earned in earlier calendar years though time earned in the current calendar year could still be at risk pending hearing outcomes. The bill also would create a hearing and appeal process for the removal of earned time.

Committee members asked whether individuals convicted of serious violent felonies — examples were listed by a questioner during the hearing — would be eligible to participate in the programs created or modified by the bill. The transcript records a staff/sponsor-level response that such convictions would not automatically be excluded: \"If the question is, would those convictions ... be eligible to participate in these programs and potentially earn meritorious or good time? The answer is yes. Yes.\"

After clarification and additional questions about how time allowances can be stacked or combined, the committee moved the bill. The motion to move S.342 was offered by Senator Bailey and seconded by Senator Hartman; the committee record states the bill was reported to \"Coates.\" No on-the-record amendments were recorded in the hearing.

The transcript indicates remaining technical questions about stacking allowances and eligibility that staff planned to confirm after the hearing. The bill, as described in committee, would change the timing and protection of earned time credits and establish procedures for hearings and appeals when such credits are removed.","S.342 (Earned Time Act) was reported out of the Senate Standing Committee on Crime Victims' Crime and Correction after senators questioned how the bill changes 'good time' and 'meritorious time' calculations and whether people convicted of serious violent felonies could receive reductions.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":44,"_45":92,"_47":104,"_49":50,"_51":105,"_53":106,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":107,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":108,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6611320,"Senate committee advances ‘Fair and Timely Parole’ after heated debate over victims’ role",748,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2898421-5d4948f75cebb111e28c3b7645e64c18&start=48&end=796","/articles/6611320/New-York/Senate-committee-advances-Fair-and-Timely-Parole-after-heated-debate-over-victims-role","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6611320-f4264dd308a5d327e4461ad7731af874/orig.mp4?Expires=1771136192&Signature=KyiuHSH9JOkCkzr~Cxr1QCdtoEbIaHKyxzpUvyAajhy2whFmy9yI1sL24gcgrIDySiV3aYBYwTPL4tnuXEXWiODDvHBINOUs2gKVC72zRiWNd7NPTfgLW~WxJiGrLDtjNPUH8kOa6s0OVn2Vb-Eqep0NXShmh-4JoTtb3DkBcSpbFATtbZTBIp7u2ZYYML3CY77dKZZgL0MUnbSxFSUnRyhw6QqV2Uly35riardK0K5YeImrMPvp5F6HvxSDocJAr0lNEt9R1aYeaz1Al0Hy2FE3fFb9C2U8dEcJqHUc~rmNnU60HB9FH~HDp~Msz47XRAvpY1BJwJ04IQPOz4buQw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Senate Standing Committee on Crime Victims' Crime and Correction advanced S.159, the Fair and Timely Parole Bill, to the finance committee after a prolonged exchange over the bill’s language about how the Parole Board should weigh victim impact statements, sentencing factors and the ability of parole supervision to mitigate public-safety risk.

The bill, sponsored by Senator Salazar and read by the committee clerk, would amend the executive law to specify findings the State Board of Parole must make when considering discretionary release. Under an added paragraph, the board must consider whether “there is a current and unreasonable risk the individual will violate the law if released, and such risk cannot be mitigated by parole supervision,” and the bill says the board “shall not base their determination solely or primarily on any or all of the factors contained in” certain clauses including victim impact statements, sentencing guidelines and district attorney recommendations.

The measure drew sharp questions from Senator Dean Murray, who said the timing of the debate—during National Crime Victims’ Rights Week—made the language especially fraught. “They don't get over it. They don't get a second chance,” Murray said of families of homicide victims, arguing that the bill’s direction that the board not base a determination “solely or primarily” on victim impact statements and related materials was a “slap in the face.” Murray gave multiple, emotionally charged examples of homicide victims’ families and said he could not support a policy that starts from an assumption of release.

Sponsor representatives and the committee chair responded that the bill does not bar the board from considering an offender’s underlying crime or victim input. Senator Velez LSR, the committee chair, and the bill’s sponsor stressed that the provision is intended to ensure the board considers a broader set of factors in addition to the seriousness of the underlying offense. The sponsor said the bill does not require a parole officer to personally attest that supervision can mitigate risk and emphasized that community supervision is one component that can reduce recidivism.

Committee discussion repeatedly distinguished between three types of material the board may consider: victim impact statements (section 5), sentencing guidelines (section 6), and district attorney recommendations (section 7). The added paragraph makes clear the board should weigh those items but should not let them be the sole or primary basis for a release decision.

After roughly an hour of back-and-forth, including emotional remarks by Senator Murray about families who lose loved ones to violent crime, a motion to move the bill was offered by Senator Parkham and seconded by Senator Bailey. The committee voiced approval and the bill was reported to the finance committee.

The committee record shows the discussion occurred in public session and included both members’ questions and sponsor clarifications; no final parole-policy text changes were recorded on the floor during the meeting. If enacted, the bill would change the statutory framing of parole-board considerations but does not itself change the board’s statutory authority to deny parole eligibility or appearances.","The Senate Standing Committee on Crime Victims' Crime and Correction advanced S.159, the Fair and Timely Parole Bill, to the finance committee after extended debate about whether parole decisions should start from an assumption of release and how victim impact statements and parole supervision are weighed.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Nine bills on corrections, victims and facility oversight reported out of Senate committee

Committee advances bill to standardize clemency review; members question scope

Committee advances Earned Time Act after questions on eligibility and stacking of allowances

Senate committee advances ‘Fair and Timely Parole’ after heated debate over victims’ role