BILL NUMBER: S3746
SPONSOR: CLEARE
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the executive law, in relation to requiring at least one
member of the state board of parole be a formerly incarcerated person
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
This bill would ensure that at least one individual sitting on the state
parole board represents the point of view of a formerly incarcerated
person.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends subdivision 1 of section 259-b of the executive law to
require the governor to appoint at least one formerly incarcerated
person to the state parole board.
Section 2 provides the effective date
 
JUSTIFICATION:
The State Board of Parole is responsible for making critical judgements
about whether or not parole-eligible incarcerated people are ready to
re-enter society. Section 259-b of the executive law provides for the
board commissioners to hold certain qualifications, including: "at least
five years of experience in one or more of the fields of criminology,
administration of criminal justice, law enforcement, sociology, law,
social work, corrections, psychology, psychiatry or medicine." Ostensi-
bly, these qualifications prepare commissioners to make the life-chang-
ing decisions for some 12,000 New Yorkers and their families every year.
An important perspective that is not currently represented on the Board
is that of formerly incarcerated individuals. Having lived through the
experience of incarceration and re-entry, formerly incarcerated individ-
uals are uniquely qualified to take into consideration the transforma-
tion parole-eligible New Yorkers have made while inside and make judge-
ments about their ability to successfully re-enter.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2019-20: 57934 /A8891
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
None.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediate.

Statutes affected:
S3746: 259-b executive law, 259-b(1) executive law