NEW RULES
NEW! Click here to read about the Department of Correction's proposed cuts in jail visiting and inmate recreation.
The changes to the Minimum Standards have been published and went into effect on June 16, 2008. Click here for the latest updates on implementation.
Click here to read the current Minimum Standards, including the new rules.
Click here to read the Department of Correction's new directive on Inmate Correspondence.
Click here to read the Department of Correction's notice to visitors in English.
Click here to read the Department of Correction's notice to visitors in Spanish.
(Unofficial) Results of the Board of Correction's Vote
on
Proposed Changes to the Minimum Standards for New York City Jails
The Good News:
- The Board voted down a proposal to increase overcrowding.
- The Board voted down a proposal to increase the use of 23 hour lock-in.
- The Board voted down a proposal to reduce translation service requirements.
- The Board voted to add statements that prisoners shall not be discriminated against on the basis of gender identity or disability, and that visits shall not be interfered with based upon a prisoner or visitor's gender identity or disability.
The Bad News:
- The Board voted to allow surveillance of phone calls and mail without a warrant.
- The Board voted to deny contact visits during the first 24 hours of a prisoner's incarceration.
- The Board approved a requirement that prisoners wear uniforms, with some changes to the language they had originally proposed.
More Details:
Click here to download a detailed (unofficial) summary of the vote.
Click here for a transcript of the public hearing at which the Board voted on the proposals.
Click here to see what the Board had proposed, and to read the text of the original standards.