Community Members Disrupt State Legislative Session to Demand End of the Crisis in NY Prisons
Participants Called for the Removal of Commissioner Martuscello, Implementation of the HALT Solitary Law & Expanded Pathways of Release
Community members disrupted the legisla tive session of the New York Senate to demand legislative and executive action to end the crisis in New York prisons by expanding pathways of release and ending all abuses inside. Today’s action came on the heels of an action last week disrupting the Assembly legislative session. Par ticipants highlighted the longstanding and acute crises of racism, brutality, and death in New York’s prisons. With a person now dying once every two days in New York prisons, the Governor and legislature can not continue with business as usual. Participants demanded immediate action to enact the following slate of legislative and executive action:
Legislation (in no particular order):
Challenging Wrongful Conviction (S6319/ A7422)
Fair & Timely Parole (S159/A127)
Elder Parole (S9846/ A514)
Rights Behind Bars (S3763/A1261A)
Visiting Bill of Rights (to be introduced)
EXECUTIVE ACTION (IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER):
Remove the Current DOCCS Commissioner Martuscello
Expand the Use of Executive Clemency
Fully Implement the HALT Solitary Confinement Law
Appoint Parole Board Commissioners who believe in redemption and recognize the ability of people to change.
Thomas Kearney, Jails Justice Network, said: “The New York State Senate and Assembly cannot continue treating the crisis inside New York prisons as routine political business while people are dying, being brutalized, and disappearing into solitary confinement.
New York prisons remain in a state of racist brutality, medical neglect, abuse, torture, and death. People incarcerated in DOCCS custody are dying at horrifying rates while correction officers and prison leader ship continue operating with little meaningful accountability. This is not simply a policy fail ure. This is a failure of leadership, oversight, and political courage. The New York State Sen ate and Assembly have both a moral and constitutional responsibility to act. The Assembly should introduce articles of impeachment against Commissioner Martuscello and the Senate should exercise its constitutional authority to carry out impeachment proceedings. No commissioner overseeing repeated deaths, brutality scandals, retaliation, unlawful solitary confinement, and systemic abuse should remain protected from account ability. The Senate and Assembly must also urgently move to protect incarcerated women and all incarcerated people by demanding immediate enforcement of the HALT Solitary Confinement Law and expanding pathways of release that reduce suffering, over crowding, and death.”
“We interrupt this chamber because incarcerated people cannot interrupt the suffering forced upon them every day.”
“People are suffering and dying in the custody of the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.”
“Women in New York prisons are being denied dignity, safety, health care, and protection from abuse.”
“We refuse to accept a system that punishes people with isolation, neglect, and violence.”
“We are calling for the impeachment and removal of Commissioner Daniel Martuscello.”
“No official should remain in power while laws are ignored and human rights are violated.”
“We demand pathways of release, including clemency, parole reform, compassionate release, and meaningful second chances.”
“We stand here today because HALT Solitary is the law, and New York State continues to violate it.”
“Solitary confinement is torture, no matter what name this administration gives it.”
“The Senate has the constitutional power to hold appointed officials accountable.”
“We demand the full enforcement of the HALT Solitary Law in every correctional facility across this state.”
“And we will continue to raise our voices until New York chooses humanity, accountability, and justice over abuse and silence.”
Background:
NY prisons are in a longstanding and acute crisis of racist brutal ity, torture and death. A person is dying once every two days in a New York prison, a rate that is unconscionable. Three women recently died in a four week span at Bed ford Hills C.F. following repeated efforts to sound the alarm about abusive conditions: Manuela “Mannie” Morgado, Tra cy Morales, and Shamdai Arjun.
The New York Times recently documented 120 cases where officers brutalized people after they were already restrained, and frequently then locked the people in solitary confinement on false charges as cover-up for the abuse. The Times separately documented three people brutally killed by officers that had previously gone unreported: Ladale Kennedy, Clement Lowe, and Ameek Nixson, tragically joining the long list of Black men officers killed in recent years, including Robert Brooks, Messiah Nantwi, Leonard Strick land, Samuel Harrell, Karl Taylor, Terry Coo per, and John McMillon.
Due to extreme racially biased and draconian sentences and parole denials in addition to medical and mental health neglect, solitary confinement, and abu sive conditions, a person dies in a NY prison more than once every three days, with an average age of death of 56 years old. Over 200 people have died in NY prisons just since Robert Brooks was killed.
At the center of this crisis is DOCCS Com missioner Daniel Mar tuscello III. Under Com missioner Martuscello’s leadership, DOCCS has continued violating the HALT Solitary Confine ment Law despite mul tiple lawsuits finding the agency has systematically ignored the law since its implementation. Following the illegal correction officer strike earlier this year, DOCCS escalated lockdown conditions across the prison system, restricting visitation, programming, movement, services, and human contact while continuing widespread use of solitary confinement conditions in direct contradiction to HALT.
Meanwhile, DOCCS has proposed a budget of $4.15 billion annually in addition to a separate $1 billion to have the national guard in the prisons. There are clear solutions to these crises that will save lives and hundreds of millions of dollars: expand pathways of release and transform the environment inside.