ALBANY, N.Y. (NEXSTAR) — New York state lawmakers are moving forward with a package of ten prison reforms on June 12, the last day of the 2025 legislative session for the State Senate. The suite of legislation—called the Prison Reform Omnibus Bill or S8415/A8871 and slated to clear the chamber Thursday—is supposed to make the correctional system more transparent and accountable.

Assemblymember Emily Gallagher, another key figure behind the bills in the omnibus, called it “incredibly important” for holding the prison system responsible. Each change is supposed to increase oversight in a specific area of carceral reform, should the legislation pass in the Assembly and then get signed by Governor Kathy Hochul.

The legislation directly responds to the deaths of two incarcerated Black men inside state prisons—Robert Brooks, who died in December 2024 at Marcy Correctional Facility, and Messiah Nantwi, who died in February 2025 at Mid-State Correctional Facility. State Senator Julia Salazar, Chair of the Senate Committee on Crime Victims, Crime and Correction and prime sponsor behind many bills in the omnibus, said that the bill was “primarily animated and inspired by” their deaths.

Here is Salazar with a rundown of the omnibus:

Video disclosures

The bill would require the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision and local correctional facilities to give video to the Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation when correctional officer is involved in the death of an incarcerated person. It would define “video footage” broadly, including recordings from fixed surveillance cameras, bodycams, and handheld recording devices.

Facilities would have to disclose unredacted footage within 72 hours of the death. OSI would figure out which redactions would be necessary under its public release policy. OSI could certify a delay in receiving the video by up to 90-days only to prevent compromising an ongoing criminal investigation or prosecution.

Surveillance cameras

All state prisons and local jails would have to install and maintain fixed or stationary cameras that capture both audio and visual footage 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Cameras would have to cover everywhere but the inside of cells, showers, and toilet areas.

The bill defines a “blind spot” as any area not continuously covered by cameras or obscured by objects, poor lighting, or distortion. Facility staff would have to regularly check to improve camera placement to eliminate blind spots. Anywhere without direct coverage would at least need to have cameras pointed at the entrances and exits.

All footage would have to be kept for at least one year, or for five years if there’s a rule violation or allegation of staff misconduct. The Office of the Inspector General would have to do audits every year and could recommend fines if a facility falls short. The DOCCS Commissioner would also have to report annually to the legislature and governor on every documented incident or effort to fix camera issues.

Notification after death

The omnibus would require DOCCS to promptly notify the family and any designated representative of an incarcerated individual’s death. Within 24 hours of notifying next of kin, the department also has to publish public notice of the death on its website.

Study on deaths

The State Commission of Correction would have to conduct a study on the amounts and causes of deaths in state correctional facilities over the past decade. SCOC would have to report findings to the governor and legislature within a year of the law taking effect, assessing mental health and medical services and identifying systemic issues.

According to Assemblymember Erik Dilan, Chair of the Correction Committee and Assembly sponsor of the omnibus, DOCCS data from 2003 to 2023 showed only 11 recorded homicides in state prisons, but 643 deaths listed as “natural causes.”

Terry Cooper Autopsy Accountability Act

Named in memory of Terry Cooper, this section of the omnibus would require that autopsy reports for deaths in state prisons or jails include all photographs, microscope slides, and X-rays taken of the dead body.

Attorney general conflicts

The omnibus also addresseses potential conflicts of interest for the attorney general when their office defends state employees in civil lawsuits or investigates and prosecutes deaths involving police or peace officers. Under the bill, the AG could designate a deputy or assistant to handle such an investigation.

They’d also have to set up procedures to prevent privacy violations, so investigators couldn’t access confidential information gained in the process of building the defense. If the AG gets disqualified from a case, a superior criminal court could appoint a special district attorney to take over, with the same powers as the AG, and the same resposibility to publically report on that case.

OSI data reporting

The bill would require the DOCCS Commissioner to collect and report quarterly OSI data to the legislature and the governor. Such reports have to thoroughly detail any complaints received and track which complaints were assigned for investigation, referred to other divisions or agencies, or closed.

According to Dilan, the current DOCCS website for special investigations has been “deeply inadequate.”

Commission of Correction expansion

The bill would expand SCOC from three to nine members. The governor would choose three, the Assembly Speaker would choose two, and the Senate Minority Leader would choose two, and the Correctional Association of New York would choose two. New membership would include a formerly incarcerated person, a public health professional, a behavioral healthcare professional, and an attorney experienced in indigent criminal defense or prisoner’s rights.

The bill also changes how the SCOC chair is designated and sets term limits. The state budget enacted for fiscal year 2025 included over $7 million in funding for SCOC, $3 million over the year before.

CANY visitation

The omnibus measure strengthens the oversight authority of CANY and lowers how much notice they have to give state correctional facilities for inspection visits from 72 to 24 hours. CANY representatives could meet privately with incarcerated individuals and staff without prison staff present and without fear of retaliation.

The bill also expands CANY’s access to records and information, including data on admissions, releases, parolees, education, staffing, deaths, grievances, and disciplinary charges. CANY could also send written and electronic surveys to people in custody or employees without prior DOCCS approval and could also receive confidential phone calls and emails. Physical mail to and from CANY would also be redefined as privileged correspondence with special protections.

Statute of limitations tolling

The omnibus would pause the clock on time limits for suing over physical, psychological, or other injuries suffered while in state custody. The three-year period for filing such claims would begin after the person leaves custody.

Beyond the omnibus

Assemblymember Michaelle Solages, chair of Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus, expressed “bittersweet” sentiment, acknowledging that New York’s carceral system remains “severely broken.” Still, she said the package would put everyone on notice and promote restorative justice to make prisons refocus on rehabilitation rather than punishment.

Lawmakers noted that some important prison reform measures did not make it into this specific omnibus bill, but several will be reintroduced in future legislative sessions. While Gallagher, Salazar, and Solages celebrated the package as necessary, Dilan said it’s “just the next step,” not a “victory lap,” with much more work ahead.

Dilan specifically noted the Earned Time Act, a proposal to reduce prison sentences based on good behavior, participation in programs, and vocational training. He said the current bill couldn’t advance through three-way negotiations between the governor, the Assembly, and the Senate, but that “the conversation is fully alive.” He’s “optimistic” about its future, comparing it to Medical Aid in Dying, which eventually advanced through the legislature after about a decade of advocacy.

Missing omnibus measures

Many other proposals from the “Robert Brooks Blueprint for Justice and Reform” weren’t included in the omnibus bill. That legislative package outlined a broad plan from the BPHA Caucus. Those proposals and others below will remain at issue for Democrats in the legislature in the next session, slated to begin in January:

• The No Slavery in New York Act would ban forced labor for incarcerated people and close a 13th Amendment loophole
• The Commissary Reform Bill would cap prison commissary markups at 3% above purchase price and prevent DOCCS from collecting commissions
• The Prison Wage Act would set prison minimum wages at half the state’s minimum wage, tied to inflation
• The Jury of Our Peers Act (S2240A/A5414A) would allow jury service for New Yorkers with felony convictions who served their sentences
• The Second Look Act would let individuals who served at least 10 years or half their sentence ask for a reduced term
• The Marvin Mayfield Act would repeal mandatory minimum sentences, giving judges more discretion and requiring written justifications
• The Fair and Timely Parole Bill would require the Parole Board to prioritize an individual’s personal growth and current behavior, rather than just their original conviction, when deciding parole
• The Elder Parole Bill would let individuals over age 55 who served at least 15 years to get a parole interview to decide on safe release
• The Dignity Not Detention Act would end state and local contracts with federal immigration enforcement and private detention facilities
• A Correctional Staff Discipline bill (S1671/A5355) would shift decision-making for serious misconduct cases involving staff to the DOCCS commissioner
• A Correctional Ombudsman Office bill would create an independent office that oversees and investigates corrections complaints
• An End Health Professional Complicity in Torture bill (S7865/A8286) would ban health professionals from participating in, facilitating, or failing to report acts of torture against the incarcerated
• A Department of Health Review of Correctional Healthcare bill (S360/A2149) would enhance oversight of correctional healthcare by increasing the Department of Health’s authority to investigate and evaluate services
• The Rights Behind Bars Act would address officer brutality and violations of the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement Act while reversing some policies, like denying visits from family
• A Medical Care in Corrections bill (S1138/A5359) would give the incarcerated prompt and appropriate medical care, banning efforts to obstruct or delay such services
• A Protect In-Person Visiting bill (S5037/A4603) would let existing in-person visitation policies continue and add weekend and/or evening visiting hours
• The Treatment Court Expansion Act (S4547/A4869) would expand diversion programs for those with mental health or substance use issues, sending them for treatment instead of to jail
• An Incarceration Mental Health Services bill (A1956) would provide comprehensive mental health services for anyone traumatized during incarceration

Racial disparities in New York’s parole decisions are particularly stark, with a January 2025 report from New York University’s School of Law finding that from January 2022 to September 2024, the Parole Board was almost three times more likely to grant parole to a white person than to a person of color. New York’s prison population currently includes over 30,000 individuals, with almost three-quarters identified as people of color. DOCCS reported 2,069 staff assaults and 2,980 inmate assaults in 2024.

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