BILL NUMBER: S483
SPONSOR: OBERACKER
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the executive law, in relation to the membership of the
state board of parole
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends section 259-b of the Executive Law to require that one
member of the State Parole Board be a current or former member of law
enforcement and that one member be crime victim or crime victim's repre-
sentative.
Section 2 sets the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
The State Parole Board is a powerful institution that has the ability to
grant convicted individuals a second chance; inversely, it also has the
power to determine that an individual is unreformed or that their crime
is so heinous that justice demands their continued incarceration. As a
matter of State policy, the authority of the Parole Board should not be
taken lightly, and it is in the interests of the State to ensure that a
diverse array of views are represented on the Board to ensure the best
possible outcome for both justice and public safety.
This legislation requires that two out of the possible nineteen members
of the Parole Board come from specific backgrounds; namely, that one
member serve currently or have served previously as a law enforcement
officer, and that one member was previously a victim of a crime or
represents an individual who was a victim of a crime. These two unique
perspectives - that of those enforcing the taw and those who were
victims of the law's violators - wilt provide key insights about the
nature of crime and the effects it has on everyday New Yorkers. These
insights will help steer the discussion and decisions of the Parole
Board further towards justice for alt, but will also make sure that
these two key groups have a voting voice on the Parole Board.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
S.4986/A.2423 of 2023-2024 REFERRED TO CRIME VICTIMS, CRIME AND
CORRECTION S.7564/A.9113 of 2022 - DEFEATED IN CRIME VICTIMS, CRIME AND
CORRECTION
 
LOCAL FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately.

Statutes affected:
S483: 259-b executive law, 259-b(1) executive law