Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams introduced in the City Council Tuesday two bills that would reform correctional facilities operations by providing a higher, consistent presence of social workers in correctional facilities, and by making videoconferencing more accessible to incarcerated individuals.
The first piece of legislation, Intro 2008, would require the Department of Corrections to maintain a ratio of one social worker for every ten incarcerated persons at each city correctional facility. The Department would also have to issue quarterly reports regarding the number of full-time licensed master of social work and clinical social workers, as well as the number of incarcerated persons, within all city facilities. Right now, there are significantly more correction officers than incarcerated individuals in city facilities.
The second bill, Intro 2009, would require the Department of Corrections to provide video conferencing services to individuals in their custody at no cost to such individuals or to the receiver. Under the legislation, persons in custody would be authorized to receive a minimum of five video conferencing calls per week for a minimum duration of one hour per call. This would not affect a person's ability or rights for in-person visits.
"In addition to broad criminal justice changes to lower the number of incarcerated individuals, it's critical that we drastically change the way our correctional facilities treat people on the inside, and how we think about the practices and purposes of incarceration," said Public Advocate Williams of the bills. "Adding more social workers is vital to helping incarcerated individuals and preparing them to come home while lowering the probability of recidivism. Expanding and improving videoconference access, especially in the midst of this pandemic, is another key way to support the mental and emotional well-being of incarcerated people, as well as support their right to fair legal proceedings."
The bills come as in-person visits and court appearances are severely limited amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has had a devastating impact on incarcerated individuals and correctional facility staff. Earlier this year, the Council heard legislation from Council Members Keith Powers and Brad Lander as well as the Public Advocate which would limit commissary transfer fees, which were previously drastically higher for remote transfers than the now-prohibited in-person visits.
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