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Assembly passes bill requiring correctional facilities to adopt in‑person visitation policies
Summary
The Assembly approved legislation to require state and local correctional facilities to establish written visitation policies, including evening and weekend hours, after supporters cited links between visits and reduced recidivism and opponents warned about staffing and safety challenges. Vote: 91–48.
The Assembly on Thursday passed a bill to codify in state law that state and local correctional facilities must establish written visitation policies that include evening and weekend hours.
Sponsor Assemblymember Weprin said the measure seeks to restore routine in‑person visits curtailed during the COVID‑19 pandemic and cited studies showing family contact reduces recidivism. “In‑person visitation is one of the most essential steps for the rehabilitation of incarcerated individuals,” Weprin said during debate.
Opponents raised practical concerns about staffing and safety. Assemblymember Ari Brown said the state’s facilities face staffing shortages and reliance on National Guard personnel and warned a sweeping mandate could be impractical to implement immediately. Other members asked whether superintendents would retain discretion to suspend visits for security reasons; the sponsor said facilities would adopt policies that address safety and victim‑protection concerns.
The Assembly recorded a 91–48 vote to pass the bill. The measure requires facilities to adopt formal written visitation policies that include evening and weekend visiting hours and other procedural elements; the text also directs the relevant agencies to issue any necessary implementing guidance.
The vote followed extended questioning by members who asked whether all facilities currently provide evening and weekend hours, how policies would account for staffing and victim protections, and whether the law would create unfunded mandates. Supporters said the change is primarily a standardization and oversight step intended to increase access and promote rehabilitation.
Outcome and next steps: the bill passed the Assembly and will be sent to the Senate (or, if already passed there, onward to the governor) for final enactment. The bill’s effective date and implementing details will depend on any amendments and the receiving chamber’s action.
