New York to Become First State to Require Judges to Visit Prisons
Beginning on January 1, 2028, New York will mandate that judges serving in criminal and family court must visit a jail, prison or detention center at least once per year. According to a press release from the New York State Unified Court System, the “immersive yearly visits” are designed to “deepen judicial insight into incarceration conditions” and “enhance visibility and promote stronger understanding” between prison systems, prisoners and the judiciary.
The rule change came about through amendments to Part 17 of the Rules of the Chief Judge. The visits will include “meaningful time” in areas such as intake, housing, recreation, visitation, dining and medical centers. Judges will also meet with prisoners, guards and administrators. The visits will rotate between facility types, including state prisons, local jails and youth and women’s facilities
“This rule keeps judges better connected to what transpires after sentencing,” Chief Judge Rowan D. Wilson, of the New York Court of Appeals and the state of New York, wrote in the press release. “It deepens a judge’s firsthand understanding of prison conditions and the broad impact of incarceration.”
Tina Luongo, the chief attorney of criminal defense practice for the Legal Aid Society, praised the decision, telling Spectrum News 1, “I don’t know why it took so long … what the judge doesn’t see is the conditions of confinement that incarcerated people suffer. They don’t see it in the pretrial context, so when a judge sets bail they don’t have line of sight to what the conditions are that this person is about to see.”
Additional source: Spectrum News 1
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