This bill would require the Department of Correction (“DOC”) to issue a yearly report regarding the number and rate of inmates discharged to the community with mental health issues, and the number and rate at which these individuals are re-admitted to DOC custody within a year of their discharge. The bill also repeals a section of a local law passed in 2004 relating to discharge planning and applications for government benefits. This section permitted this law to be repealed at the DOC’s request if the Council did not renew the law within 1 year of such request.
- Enacted
History
Affirmative
- Inez D. Barron
- Joseph C. Borelli
- James G. Van Bramer
- Fernando Cabrera
- Margaret S. Chin
- Andrew Cohen
- Costa G. Constantinides
- Robert E. Cornegy, Jr.
- Elizabeth S. Crowley
- Laurie A. Cumbo
- Chaim M. Deutsch
- Inez E. Dickens
- Daniel Dromm
- Rafael L. Espinal, Jr.
- Mathieu Eugene
- Julissa Ferreras-Copeland
- Daniel R. Garodnick
- Vincent J. Gentile
- Vanessa L. Gibson
- David G. Greenfield
- Barry S. Grodenchik
- Ben Kallos
- Andy L. King
- Peter A. Koo
- Karen Koslowitz
- Rory I. Lancman
- Brad S. Lander
- Stephen T. Levin
- Mark Levine
- Alan N. Maisel
- Melissa Mark-Viverito
- Steven Matteo
- Darlene Mealy
- Carlos Menchaca
- Rosie Mendez
- I. Daneek Miller
- Annabel Palma
- Antonio Reynoso
- Donovan J. Richards
- Ydanis A. Rodriguez
- Deborah L. Rose
- Helen K. Rosenthal
- Rafael Salamanca, Jr.
- Ritchie J. Torres
- Mark Treyger
- Eric A. Ulrich
- James Vacca
- Paul A. Vallone
- Jumaane D. Williams
- Ruben Wills
Absent
Int. No. 1014-A
By Council Members Johnson, Crowley, Levin, Cohen, Cabrera, Koo, Mendez, Rose, Rodriguez, Rosenthal, Salamanca, Van Bramer, Lander, Vacca, Kallos, Dickens and Barron
A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring the department of correction to post on its website an annual report regarding mentally ill inmates and recidivism, and to repeal section 3 of local law number 54 for the year 2004, relating to the date such local law is repealed
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. Chapter 1 of title 9 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new section 9-143 to read as follows:
§ 9-143 Annual report on mentally ill inmates and recidivism.
a. Definitions. For the purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:
Eligible inmate. The term “eligible inmate” means an inmate whose period of confinement in a city correctional facility lasts 24 hours or longer, and who, during such confinement, receives treatment for a mental illness, but does not include inmates seen by mental health staff on no more than two occasions during their confinement and assessed on the latter of those occasions as having no need for further treatment in any city correctional facility or upon their release from any such facility.
Reporting period. The term “reporting period” means the calendar year two years prior to the year in which the report issued pursuant to this section is issued.
b. No later than March 31 of each year, beginning in 2017, the department shall post on its website a report regarding mentally ill inmates and recidivism. Such report shall include but not be limited to the following information:
1. The number of inmates released by the department to the community during the reporting period, the number of eligible inmates released to the community by the department during the reporting period, and the percentage of inmates released to the community by the department who were eligible during the reporting period, provided that such report shall count each individual released during the reporting period only once; and
2. The number and percentage of inmates released to the community by the department during the reporting period who returned to the custody of the department within one year of their discharge, and the number and percentage of eligible inmates released to the community by the department during the reporting period who returned to the custody of the department within one year of their discharge, provided that such report shall count each individual released during the reporting period only once.
c. The information in subdivision b of this section shall be compared to previous reporting periods where such information is available, and shall be permanently accessible from the department’s website.
§ 2. Section 3 of local law number 54 for the year 2004 is REPEALED.
§ 3. This local law takes effect immediately.
BC
LS # 3520
9/6/16