Judicial Visitation Rule Adopted

In April 2026, New York’s Unified Court System adopted a strengthened judicial visitation rule requiring criminal and family court judges to visit at least one detention facility each year—up from the prior requirement of once every four years—beginning in 2028. The City Bar’s Corrections and Community Reentry Committee formally supported the change, which closely reflects the Committee’s recommendations.

What changed

The revised rule, adopted by the Unified Court System in April 2026, makes two significant changes effective in 2028:

• Frequency: Criminal and family court judges must visit at least one detention facility annually, a substantial increase from the prior standard of one visit every four years.
• Scope: The rule standardizes what a visit entails, requiring judges to tour key areas of facilities and engage directly with staff and incarcerated individuals—ensuring visits are meaningful, regular, and structured.

What the City Bar recommended

In its comment on the proposed amendments to the State’s judicial visitation program, the Corrections and Community Reentry Committee endorsed expanding and clarifying the rule so that judges gain direct, recurring exposure to conditions of confinement. The Committee emphasized that firsthand observation is essential to informed decision-making in sentencing, bail, and family court matters. The rule ultimately adopted by the Unified Court System closely tracks these recommendations.

Why it matters

Firsthand exposure to detention conditions equips judges to better understand the real-world impact of their decisions in sentencing, bail, and family court proceedings. As Bloomberg Law reported, the reform is intended to create a direct connection between judges and the people affected by their rulings, and has drawn broad support from advocates and court stakeholders.

Committee Co-Chairs Karen Adelman and Paul A. Montuori noted that the reform will better equip judges to understand the realities of incarceration and strengthen the justice system’s ability to ensure humane and constitutional conditions of confinement.