STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 81 2023-2024 Regular Sessions IN SENATE (Prefiled) January 4, 2023 ___________ Introduced by Sen. GALLIVAN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Codes AN ACT to amend the criminal procedure law, in relation to requiring the notice to crime victims of case disposition to inform the victim that he or she has the right to attend interviews between the board of parole and the incarcerated individual; and to amend the executive law, in relation to requiring the board of parole to review victim impact statements The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 440.50 of the criminal procedure 2 law, as amended by chapter 322 of the laws of 2021, is amended to read 3 as follows: 4 1. (a) Upon the request of a victim of a crime, or in any event in all 5 cases in which the final disposition includes a conviction of a violent 6 felony offense as defined in section 70.02 of the penal law, a felony 7 defined in article one hundred twenty-five of such law, or a felony 8 defined in article one hundred thirty of such law, the district attorney 9 shall, within sixty days of the final disposition of the case, inform 10 the victim by letter of such final disposition. If such final disposi- 11 tion results in the commitment of the defendant to the custody of the 12 department of corrections and community supervision for an indeterminate 13 sentence, the notice provided to the crime victim shall also inform the 14 victim of his or her right to submit a written, audiotaped, telephonic, 15 or [videotaped] video recorded victim impact statement to the department 16 of corrections and community supervision or to meet personally with a 17 member of the state board of parole at a time and place separate from 18 the personal interview between a member or members of the board and the 19 incarcerated individual and make such a statement, subject to procedures 20 and limitations contained in rules of the board, both pursuant to subdi- EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD00579-01-3
S. 81 2 1 vision two of section two hundred fifty-nine-i of the executive law. A 2 copy of such [letter] statement shall be provided to the board of parole 3 and all presiding commissioners for such hearing. The right of the 4 victim under this subdivision to submit a [written] victim impact state- 5 ment in any format or to meet personally with a member of the state 6 board of parole applies to each personal interview between a member or 7 members of the board and the incarcerated individual. 8 (b) In all cases in which the final disposition includes a felony 9 defined in article one hundred twenty-five of the penal law that 10 results in the commitment of the defendant to the custody of the depart- 11 ment of corrections and community supervision for an indeterminate 12 sentence, the notice provided to the crime victim pursuant to paragraph 13 (a) of this subdivision shall also inform the victim of his or her right 14 to attend the personal interview between members of the board of parole 15 and the incarcerated individual, whether in-person or by electronic 16 appearance as defined in section 182.10 of this part, and reasonably 17 express his or her opinions concerning the crime, the incarcerated indi- 18 vidual, and whether or not the incarcerated individual should be 19 released on parole, and if so released, under what conditions, subject 20 to procedures and limitations contained in the rules of the board, 21 pursuant to subdivision two of section two hundred fifty-nine-i of the 22 executive law. If the victim is present at the parole interview, the 23 board, at the victim's request, shall permit the presence of an individ- 24 ual to provide support to the victim. The right of the victim under 25 this subdivision to attend the personal interview between members of the 26 board and the incarcerated individual, whether in-person or by electron- 27 ic appearance, applies to each personal interview between a member or 28 members of the board and the incarcerated individual. 29 § 2. Subdivision 2 of section 259-i of the executive law is amended by 30 adding a new paragraph (f) to read as follows: 31 (f) Immediately prior to the conduct of any hearing by the board of 32 parole as provided in this article, the members of the board and all 33 presiding commissioners for such hearing shall review all victim impact 34 statements relating to the offense or offenses of which the incarcerated 35 individual has been convicted, including victim impact statements 36 provided in connection with the pre-sentencing report and victim impact 37 statements provided directly to the board. All victim impact statements 38 provided directly to the board shall be video recorded. Failure to 39 review statements as provided in this section shall render such hearing 40 invalid. 41 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.