Testimony before the Board of Correction regarding Proposed Changes in Minimum Standards

SUMMARY

Responding to a proposed rule, the Committee on Corrections and Community Reentry testified before the NYC Board of Correction urging that the rule proposed by the NYC Department of Correction which changes the minimum standards for, among other things, visitation, Enhanced Supervision Housing, and punitive segregation be rejected or, at a minimum, be subject to further review. The committee is concerned that the proposal, which would fundamentally alter the scope and substance of the visitation standard and even the Board’s role in protecting this important right, is missing too many specifics, and there has not been sufficient justification presented for why the rule is needed. The committee also noted that stakeholders have not had sufficient time to digest the proposed rule.