Advocates press Albany County Legislature for civilian oversight after jail abuse claims

Dozens of residents and advocates used the Albany County Legislature’s Aug. 11 public comment period to demand creation of a civilian oversight review board with subpoena power for the Albany County Correctional Facility, citing reports of beatings, video evidence and a 2019 settlement.

The call for an outside review came from multiple speakers who said they have heard frequent reports of abuse from people inside the jail and from family members. Barbara Rio, a resident who said she had called the legislature in February, referenced a 2019 settlement in which four incarcerated people received $980,000 and asked: “Who is 100% full of crap? It’s not us.” She urged the legislature to “hold them accountable” and to “establish an independent civilian review board with subpoena power.”

Other speakers echoed those demands. Ronnie Mentor of the Freedom of Shackle Coalition said he had shared a video described as showing Marquise Smallwood’s room and accused Sheriff Apple of lying about the allegations. Tom Ellis, a resident of North Pine Ave., told the legislature he is “in full support of efforts by more than 10 organizations urging this legislature to establish a civilian oversight review board,” saying the board could examine allegations, determine facts and recommend policy changes, including on training, staffing and mental-health access. Jim Ketchum, who said he serves on the board of the New York State Council of Churches, said people in the jail “are still children of God. They still deserve respect and safety.”

Speakers described a pattern of complaints: reports of repeated beatings, threats during searches, denied meals, and intimidation. Several referenced two deaths at the facility in 2021 and 2022 that they said were found to have resulted from improper conduct. Multiple speakers named local advocacy groups as part of a coalition: the Albany NAACP, the Capital Area Urban League, the New York State Council of Churches, 100 Black Men and the Center for Law and Justice.

Legislators responded to the public forum during the meeting. Deputy Chair Wanda Willingham acknowledged the advocates’ “tireless advocacy” and said the legislature — particularly the legislative black caucus — had engaged with advocates and the sheriff’s office, and had conducted an in-person review of the facility. “Oversight of that correctional facility and its personnel, it rests entirely with the sheriff’s office and the state of New York,” Willingham said, adding that the sheriff had begun “the first steps toward addressing and funding these improvements.” She urged collaboration with the sheriff while acknowledging the legislature’s limited authority to compel compliance.

Advocates pressed for stronger measures than internal reforms. Barbara Rio and others asked for an independent board with subpoena power to investigate and make binding findings and policy recommendations. Several speakers pressed for concrete protections for incarcerated people and for correctional officers, including improved training, mental-health services and staffing changes. Talisha Landy, who identified herself as the spouse of an incarcerated person, said her husband had been held in a cell more than 24 hours on two occasions and reported being denied a meal and threatened during a strip search.

Several speakers referenced video evidence they said county officials or some legislators had seen; Barbara Rio told the room many had viewed video of a beating she identified as involving Marquise Norwood, and Ronnie Mentor said he had distributed a separate video he called the “room reading” of Marquise Smallwood for legislators to view.

The public forum closed before the full legislature moved into the formal agenda, and no vote to create a civilian oversight board occurred at the Aug. 11 session. Willingham said the county will continue to pursue facility improvements in partnership with the sheriff’s office, while advocates said legislative action short of an independent board is insufficient.

Speakers and affiliations cited in the forum included residents, family members of incarcerated people, and representatives of advocacy organizations. Several speakers offered to assist the legislature in designing an oversight board and urged faster timelines. The forum prompted public discussion but no formal legislative action on the oversight-board request at the Aug. 11 meeting.

Looking ahead, advocates said they will continue to press the legislature for an independent civilian oversight mechanism; legislators said they will pursue facility repairs and funding but reiterated that the sheriff and state authorities retain primary operational control and that any binding oversight would require legal authority beyond the legislature’s current powers.