Authorizes the commissioner of corrections and community supervision, in consultation with the commissioner of health, to develop and implement programs in every correctional facility to prevent the spread of hepatitis C, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV among correctional employees and incarcerated persons.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
6004
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 21, 2017
___________
Introduced by M. of A. GOTTFRIED, AUBRY, PAULIN, PEOPLES-STOKES, JAFFEE,
COLTON, ROSENTHAL, HEVESI, BRONSON, WALKER, ABINANTI, SEPULVEDA,
D'URSO -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. ARROYO, CAHILL, CARROLL,
COOK, CYMBROWITZ, DINOWITZ, GALEF, GANTT, GLICK, HOOPER, LIFTON, McDO-
NALD, ORTIZ, PERRY, RIVERA, ROZIC -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Correction
AN ACT to amend the correction law, in relation to authorizing the
commissioner of corrections and community supervision to develop
programs in correctional facilities to prevent the spread of sexually
transmitted diseases
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The correction law is amended by adding a new section 141-a
2 to read as follows:
3 § 141-a. Sexually transmitted diseases and HIV; prevention. 1. The
4 commissioner, together with the commissioner of health, shall develop
5 and implement programs in every correctional facility to prevent the
6 spread of hepatitis C, sexually transmitted diseases and human immunode-
7 ficiency virus infection, for department employees and incarcerated
8 individuals, including education, group and individual counseling,
9 outreach to the incarcerated population, harm reduction, discharge plan-
10 ning, offering testing, and availability of prophylactic devices. The
11 program may provide for training incarcerated persons to work as peer
12 educators in the program.
13 2. These programs shall be offered in such manner and at such time as
14 to encourage attendance by all department employees and incarcerated
15 persons. Programming as required by subdivision one of this section
16 shall include incorporation into other content-neutral programs to
17 ensure that attendance is not stigmatized or stigmatizing.
18 3. In developing programs for the prevention of hepatitis C, sexually
19 transmitted diseases and human immunodeficiency virus infection, the
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02691-02-7
A. 6004 2
1 commissioner shall consult with the commissioner of health to identify
2 and select curricula that are likely to be effective in reducing trans-
3 mission of infectious diseases within correctional facilities and to
4 contacts of formerly incarcerated persons upon their release.
5 4. The programs required by subdivision one of this section should
6 include peer education and use of non-department personnel including
7 community providers, and shall be in the language of the targeted popu-
8 lation, shall take into account the literacy level of the targeted popu-
9 lation, and shall be culturally sensitive to the social and cultural
10 needs of the targeted population.
11 5. In order to develop a cohort of skilled trainers, the commissioner,
12 together with the commissioner of health, shall develop and implement a
13 peer educator training program. Completion of a peer educator training
14 program under this section shall permit a participant to receive a peer
15 education certification.
16 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.