Int. No. 261
By Council Member Brannan and the Public Advocate (Mr. Williams) (by request of the Queens Borough President)
A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring the department of correction to conduct a survey related to inmate quality of life
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. Title 9 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new section 9-153 to read as follows:
§ 9-153 Inmate surveys.
a. Commencing one year after the effective date of the local law that added this section, an agent of the department shall provide all inmates with an annual survey regarding such inmate’s experiences in city jails. Such survey shall not attribute responses to any individual without their consent. In addition to questions, such survey shall include space for inmates to provide any additional information they wish to share.
b. Such survey shall be designed by the department in coordination with the agent designated in subdivision a of this section and relevant inmate advocates and health professionals.
c. Such survey shall include but not be limited to questions addressing the topics of living conditions and treatment by departmental employees.
d. No later than six months following the first administration of the survey, and annually thereafter, the department shall submit to the speaker of the council and post on its website aggregated data from the surveys required pursuant to this section and any steps the department has taken in response to the information provided in such surveys.
e. No information that is otherwise required to be reported pursuant to this section shall be reported in a manner that would violate any applicable provision of federal, state or local law relating to the privacy of information or that would interfere with law enforcement investigations or otherwise conflict with the interests of law enforcement.
§ 2. This local law takes effect immediately.
BC
LS 12009/Int. 1832-2017
LS 650
1/2/18