Reentry of Persons Previously Incarcerated

Thanks in part to the work of the Corrections Committee and the Labor and Employment Law Committee, four pieces of legislation were passed as part of the Public Protection and General Government budget. Signed by Governor Paterson on June 22, these provisions are aimed at lowering recidivism rates and helping individuals with criminal records successfully reenter society: 1) an amendment to relevant laws that will require that people with felony convictions be notified of their voting rights when they become eligible to vote after completing a term of incarceration; 2) an amendment to remove statutory barriers to the licensure and employment of people with criminal records so that either a certificate of relief from disabilities or a certificate of good conduct can be used to obtain an occupational license; 3) an amendment that will allow qualified individuals with criminal records to be employed in certain establishments that hold liquor licenses; 4) changes to the Department of Correctional Services’ web-based Inmate Population Information Search so that information about formerly incarcerated persons, such as sentencing and conviction information, will be available on the site only for a five year period following the end of an individual’s sentence and successful completion of post-release supervision, rather than indefinitely. For more information on these bills and links to full committee reports, please visit the Corrections and Labor and Employment pages.

June 28, 2010