A02494 Summary:

BILL NOA02494
 
SAME ASSAME AS S04480
 
SPONSORJones
 
COSPNSRRivera, Dickens, Giglio JA, McDonough, Ra, Buttenschon, Miller, Manktelow
 
MLTSPNSRBarclay, Cook, Hawley
 
Amd §259-i, Exec L; amd §440.50, CP L
 
Requires that all comments and testimony made by a third party either in support or opposition in a parole hearing shall be considered when coming to a decision; adds provisions relating to confidentiality of victim statements.
Go to top    

A02494 Actions:

BILL NOA02494
 
01/26/2023referred to correction
01/03/2024referred to correction
Go to top

A02494 Committee Votes:

Go to top

A02494 Floor Votes:

There are no votes for this bill in this legislative session.
Go to top

A02494 Text:



 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                          2494
 
                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                    January 26, 2023
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by M. of A. JONES, RIVERA, DICKENS, J. A. GIGLIO, McDONOUGH,
          RA, BUTTENSCHON, MILLER, MANKTELOW -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M.  of  A.
          BARCLAY,  COOK,  HAWLEY  -- read once and referred to the Committee on
          Correction
 
        AN ACT to amend the executive law and the  criminal  procedure  law,  in
          relation to statements to the state board of parole
 
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section 1. Subparagraph (A) of  paragraph  (c)  of  subdivision  2  of
     2  section  259-i  of  the  executive law, as amended by chapter 322 of the
     3  laws of 2021, is amended to read as follows:
     4    (A) Discretionary release on parole shall not be granted merely  as  a
     5  reward  for  good  conduct  or  efficient  performance  of  duties while
     6  confined but after considering if  there  is  a  reasonable  probability
     7  that,  if  such incarcerated individual is released, he or she will live
     8  and remain at liberty without violating the law, and  that  his  or  her
     9  release  is not incompatible with the welfare of society and will not so
    10  deprecate the seriousness of his or her crime as  to  undermine  respect
    11  for  law.  In making the parole release decision, the procedures adopted
    12  pursuant to subdivision four of section two hundred fifty-nine-c of this
    13  article shall require that the following be considered: (i) the institu-
    14  tional record including  program  goals  and  accomplishments,  academic
    15  achievements, vocational education, training or work assignments, thera-
    16  py  and  interactions  with  staff  and  incarcerated  individuals; (ii)
    17  performance, if any, as a participant in a  temporary  release  program;
    18  (iii) release plans including community resources, employment, education
    19  and training and support services available to the incarcerated individ-
    20  ual; (iv) any deportation order issued by the federal government against
    21  the  incarcerated  individual while in the custody of the department and
    22  any recommendation regarding deportation made by the commissioner of the
    23  department pursuant to section one hundred forty-seven of the correction
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD02531-01-3

        A. 2494                             2
 
     1  law; (v) any current or prior statement made to the board by  the  crime
     2  victim  or  the  victim's  representative,  where  the  crime  victim is
     3  deceased or is mentally or physically incapacitated; (vi) any  statement
     4  in  support  or opposition made to the board by a third party; (vii) the
     5  length of the determinate sentence to which the incarcerated  individual
     6  would  be  subject had he or she received a sentence pursuant to section
     7  70.70 or section 70.71 of the penal law for a felony defined in  article
     8  two  hundred  twenty or article two hundred twenty-one of the penal law;
     9  [(vii)] (viii) the seriousness of the offense with due consideration  to
    10  the  type  of  sentence,  length  of sentence and recommendations of the
    11  sentencing court, the district attorney, the attorney for the  incarcer-
    12  ated  individual, the pre-sentence probation report as well as consider-
    13  ation of any mitigating and aggravating factors, and activities  follow-
    14  ing  arrest  prior  to  confinement;  and  [(viii)]  (ix) prior criminal
    15  record, including the nature and pattern of offenses, adjustment to  any
    16  previous  probation or parole supervision and institutional confinement.
    17  The board shall provide toll free telephone access for crime victims. In
    18  the case of an oral statement made in accordance with subdivision one of
    19  section 440.50 of the criminal procedure law, the  parole  board  member
    20  shall  present  a written report of the statement to the parole board. A
    21  crime victim's representative shall  mean  the  crime  victim's  closest
    22  surviving  relative,  the  committee  or guardian of such person, or the
    23  legal representative of any such person. Such statement submitted by the
    24  victim or victim's representative  may  include  information  concerning
    25  threatening  or  intimidating  conduct  toward  the victim, the victim's
    26  representative, or the victim's family, made by the person sentenced and
    27  occurring after the sentencing. Such information may include,  but  need
    28  not  be limited to, the threatening or intimidating conduct of any other
    29  person who or which is directed by the person sentenced.  Any  statement
    30  by  a  victim  or the victim's representative made to the board shall be
    31  maintained by the department in the file  provided  to  the  board  when
    32  interviewing  the incarcerated individual in consideration of release. A
    33  victim or victim's representative who has submitted a written request to
    34  the department for the transcript of such interview  shall  be  provided
    35  such transcript as soon as it becomes available.
    36    §  2.  Subparagraph  (B)  of paragraph (c) of subdivision 2 of section
    37  259-i of the executive law, as amended by chapter 322  of  the  laws  of
    38  2021, is amended to read as follows:
    39    (B)  Where  a  crime  victim  or victim's representative as defined in
    40  subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, [or other  person]  submits  to  the
    41  parole  board a written statement concerning the release of an incarcer-
    42  ated individual, such statement shall be deemed confidential  and  shall
    43  only be made available to the parole board [shall keep that individual's
    44  name and address confidential] for use in rendering parole decisions.
    45    § 3. Subdivision 1 of section 440.50 of the criminal procedure law, as
    46  amended  by  chapter  322  of  the  laws  of 2021, is amended to read as
    47  follows:
    48    1. Upon the request of a victim of a crime, or in  any  event  in  all
    49  cases  in which the final disposition includes a conviction of a violent
    50  felony offense as defined in section 70.02 of the penal  law,  a  felony
    51  defined  in  article  one  hundred  twenty-five of such law, or a felony
    52  defined in article one hundred thirty of such law, the district attorney
    53  shall, within sixty days of the final disposition of  the  case,  inform
    54  the  victim  by letter of such final disposition. If such final disposi-
    55  tion results in the commitment of the defendant to the  custody  of  the
    56  department of corrections and community supervision for an indeterminate

        A. 2494                             3
 
     1  sentence,  the notice provided to the crime victim shall also inform the
     2  victim of his or her right to submit a  written,  audiotaped,  or  vide-
     3  otaped  victim  impact  statement  to  the department of corrections and
     4  community  supervision  or to meet personally with a member of the state
     5  board of parole at a time and place separate from the personal interview
     6  between a member or members of the board and the incarcerated individual
     7  and make  such  a  statement,  subject  to  procedures  and  limitations
     8  contained  in  rules  of  the board, both pursuant to subdivision two of
     9  section two hundred fifty-nine-i of the executive law. Such notice shall
    10  inform the victim that  a  written,  audiotaped,  or  videotaped  victim
    11  impact  statement  shall  be  deemed confidential and shall only be made
    12  available to the state board of parole for use in rendering parole deci-
    13  sions. A copy of such letter shall be provided to the board  of  parole.
    14  The  right  of  the  victim under this subdivision to submit a [written]
    15  victim impact statement or to meet personally with a member of the state
    16  board of parole applies to each personal interview between a  member  or
    17  members of the board and the incarcerated individual.
    18    §  4.  This  act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
    19  have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or
    20  repeal of any rule or regulation necessary  for  the  implementation  of
    21  this  act  on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed
    22  on or before such effective date.
Go to top