BILL NUMBER: S4357
SPONSOR: BAILEY
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the correction law, in relation to providing vocational
training to incarcerated individuals on the installation of solar hot
water systems for the provision of hot water to correctional facilities
 
PURPOSE:
To provide practical and vocational training to incarcerated individuals
and inexpensive, environmentally sustainable hot water in prison living
units in compliance with the standards of the American Correctional
Association.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
The bill amends the correction law to require correctional facilities to
provide hot water directly to cells and to provide vocational training
to incarcerated individuals in the installation of solar hot water
systems for this purpose.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
When a convicted person is released from prison, they should be able to
obtain employment and lead a law-abiding, productive life. This bill
would encourage the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision
to provide a vocational program in which incarcerated individuals learn
to install solar-powered hot water systems. Solar-powered hot water has
been successfully provided at Wallkill Correctional Facility and in
other correctional facilities throughout the country.
In New York State, most of the people residing in correctional facili-
ties do not have running hot water in their sinks. Newer facilities have
hot water "plumbed" to where incarcerated individuals are housed, but
most of the older prisons rely on manual labor on the part of incarcer-
ated individuals to distribute buckets of hot water to others.
Many facilities currently house thousands of incarcerated individuals in
cold water cells. This bill provides vocational training that could
result in addressing the problem and future employment. Moreover, the
use of renewable energy sources will help reduce greenhouse emissions
and save the state money by lowering the energy costs of facilities.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2019-20: Referred to Crime Victims, Crime and Correction
2021-22: Committed to Rules
2023-24: Referred to Crime Victims, Crime and Correction
 
FISCAL IMPACT ON STATE:
To be determined.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
On the one hundred eightieth day after becoming a law.

Statutes affected:
S4357: 137 correction law, 137(4) correction law, 171 correction law, 171(2) correction law