Meanwhile In Albany, Lawmakers Consider An Ambitious Array Of Criminal Justice Reforms
arrow Thick spools of barbed wire surround a jail complex on Rikers Island. Bebeto Matthews/AP/Shutterstock
In the midst of a chaotic legislative session in which the governor faces growing calls for his resignation, state lawmakers and advocates say that they are determined to pass an ambitious package of bills aimed at overhauling the state s parole system, banning solitary confinement, and directing half of all profits from legalized cannabis to communities that were harmed under prohibition.
A report from the Columbia University Center for Justice released on Wednesday estimated that passing the bulk of this legislation, along with closing more upstate prisons, would save the state $1.52 billion annually.
Judge strikes down use of secret subpoenas in State Police internal probes
Ruling undermines agency s practice of sifting through personal records of employees
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New York State Police Superintendent Keith Corlett. (Will Waldron/Times Union)Will Waldron/Albany Times Union
ALBANY The long-standing practice of state agencies to secretly use their administrative subpoena authority to sift the personal records of employees in internal investigations was struck down by a state Supreme Court justice in a ruling that found the State Police were not adhering to the provisions of Public Officers Law.
The ruling by state Supreme Court Justice Patrick J. McGrath was handed down in a case filed in December 2019 by the New York State Police Investigators Association, which challenged the State Police practice of using subpoenas to access the smartphone, personal email and other private records of employees without their knowledge during internal investigations.
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WATERTOWN â A group met in Public Square on Saturday afternoon to protest the upcoming closure of Watertown Correctional Facility, which is scheduled to shut down at the end of March.
The demonstrators displayed signs for the honking cars passing by and talked about what the closure means for the employees at the facility and their families.
Among them was Watertown corrections officer Tom Dier. He will be traveling over the next few days to the homes of a few of his coworkers â who are in quarantine because they got COVID-19, apparently from the prison where they work â to pick up the paperwork they need to submit to stay employed.
Rallying for Watertown Correctional Facility, still hoping for change
Rallying for Watertown Correctional Facility, still hoping for change By Brendan Straub | January 16, 2021 at 4:47 PM EST - Updated January 16 at 6:36 PM
WATERTOWN, N.Y. (WWNY) - Signs could been seen up and down Watertownâs Public Sqaure all with the same message: Save the Watertown Correctional Facility.
Governor Cuomo gave the facility itâs 90 day notice back in December.
In response, several rallies have occurred, even if the decision may seem inevitable.
âRight now there is not much movement, but we are pushing for it hoping that the Governor will change his mind,â said Bryan Hluska, Central Region VP for New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOBA).