STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1670 2025-2026 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY January 10, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. ROSENTHAL, FORREST, CRUZ, GLICK, SEAWRIGHT, REYES, DAVILA, LUCAS, SIMON, SHIMSKY, LEVENBERG, TAPIA, SIMONE, EPSTEIN, RAGA, BURDICK -- read once and referred to the Committee on Correction AN ACT to amend the correction law and the executive law, in relation to prohibiting the use of restraints on incarcerated individuals during labor, absent extraordinary circumstances, and on pregnant persons during a custodial interrogation 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 611 of the correction law, as 2 amended by chapter 17 of the laws of 2016, paragraph (c) as separately 3 amended by chapters 322 and 621 of the laws of 2021, is amended to read 4 as follows: 5 1. (a) If a [woman] person confined in any institution or local 6 correctional facility [be] is pregnant and about to give birth to a 7 child, the superintendent or sheriff in charge of such institution or 8 facility, a reasonable time before the anticipated birth of such child, 9 shall cause such [woman] person to be removed from such institution or 10 facility and provided with comfortable accommodations, maintenance and 11 medical care elsewhere, under such supervision and safeguards to prevent 12 [her] their escape from custody as the superintendent or sheriff or [his 13 or her] their designee may determine. No restraints of any kind shall 14 be used during transport of such [woman] person, a [woman] person who is 15 known to be pregnant by correctional personnel or personnel providing 16 medical services to the institution or local correctional facility, or a 17 [woman] person within eight weeks after delivery or pregnancy outcome, 18 absent extraordinary circumstances in which[: 19 i. the superintendent or sheriff or his or her designee in consulta- 20 tion with the medical professional responsible for the institution has 21 made an individualized determination that restraints are necessary to EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD04205-01-5
A. 1670 2 1 prevent such woman from injuring herself or medical or correctional 2 personnel or others and cannot reasonably be restrained by other means, 3 including the use of additional personnel; or 4 ii.], during transport the correctional personnel directly responsible 5 for the transport of such a [woman] person determine that an emergency 6 has arisen in which restraints are necessary because the [woman] person 7 poses an immediate risk of serious injury to [herself] themself or 8 medical or correctional personnel or others and cannot reasonably be 9 restrained by other means. 10 (b) If a determination has been made pursuant to [subparagraph i or ii 11 of] paragraph (a) of this subdivision that extraordinary circumstances 12 exist then restraints shall be limited to wrist restraints in front of 13 the body. The superintendent or sheriff or [his or her] their designee 14 [pursuant to subparagraph i of paragraph (a) of this subdivision] or 15 correctional personnel pursuant to [subparagraph ii of] paragraph (a) of 16 this subdivision shall document in writing the facts upon which the 17 finding of extraordinary circumstances were based within five days of 18 the use of such restraints and shall also document the type of 19 restraints used and the length of time such restraints were used. 20 (c) No restraints of any kind shall be used when such [woman] person 21 is in labor, admitted to a hospital[, institution] or [clinic] medical 22 facility for delivery, or recovering after giving birth. Any such 23 personnel as may be necessary to supervise the [woman] person during 24 transport to and from and during [her] their stay at the hospital, 25 institution or clinic shall be provided to ensure adequate care[,] and 26 custody [and control] of the [woman, except that no] person. 27 (i) No correctional staff shall be present [in the delivery room] 28 during the birth of a baby or during counseling and medical care related 29 to the pregnancy and all pregnancy outcomes including abortion, miscar- 30 riage, and stillbirth unless requested by the medical staff [supervis- 31 ing] providing such [delivery] care or by the [woman giving birth] 32 person receiving such care. 33 (ii) The [woman] person shall be permitted to have at least one 34 support person of [her] their choosing accompany [her in the delivery 35 room and when such woman is in labor and recovering after giving birth] 36 them to a hospital or medical facility for labor, birth, and counseling 37 and medical care related to pregnancy and all pregnancy outcomes includ- 38 ing abortion, miscarriage and stillbirth and shall be permitted to 39 remain with such support person for the duration of their stay in the 40 hospital or medical facility subject to the visitation rules of that 41 hospital or medical facility. A support person shall not need to have 42 visited the [woman] person at a correctional facility prior to serving 43 as a support person[. A person] and may not be denied eligibility to 44 serve as a support person solely on the basis of a past criminal 45 conviction or that such support person is on probation, conditional 46 release, parole or post release supervision. Any decision by an [agency] 47 institution or local correctional facility to deny a [woman's] request 48 [to have] for a specific support person [serve as a support person] 49 shall be made with reasons specified in writing within five days of 50 [her] the request and promptly provided to the [woman] person making 51 the request. A support person shall be notified immediately after such 52 [woman] person goes into labor, [or immediately after a caesarean] is 53 scheduled for labor induction or a cesarean section [or termination], is 54 identified as having a miscarriage or stillbirth, or is scheduled for 55 medical care for any pregnancy outcome, including abortion, miscarriage, 56 and stillbirth. If available, a doula[, midwife] or other birthing
A. 1670 3 1 support specialist may also assist during labor [and], delivery [in 2 addition to at least one support person of the woman's choosing. Any 3 woman confined in a state or local correctional facility shall receive 4 notice in writing in a language and manner understandable to her about 5 the requirements of this section upon her admission to such state or 6 local correctional facility and again when she is known to be pregnant. 7 The superintendent or sheriff shall publish notice of the requirements 8 of this section in prominent locations where medical care is provided], 9 post-partum recovery, and during medical care for and recovery from any 10 other pregnancy outcome including abortion, miscarriage, and stillbirth. 11 The superintendent or sheriff or [his or her] their designee shall cause 12 such [woman] person to be subject to return to such institution or local 13 correctional facility as soon after the birth of [her] their child as 14 the state of [her] their health will permit as determined by the medical 15 professional responsible for the care of such [woman] person. [If such 16 woman is confined in a local correctional facility, the expense of such 17 accommodation, maintenance and medical care shall be paid by such woman 18 or her relatives or from any available funds of the local correctional 19 facility and if not available from such sources, shall be a charge upon 20 the county, city or town in which is located the court from which such 21 incarcerated individual was committed to such local correctional facili- 22 ty. If such woman is confined in any institution under the control of 23 the department, the expense of such accommodation, maintenance and 24 medical care shall be paid by such woman or her relatives and if not 25 available from such sources, such maintenance and medical care shall be 26 paid by the state. In cases where payment of such accommodations, main- 27 tenance and medical care is assumed by the county, city or town from 28 which such incarcerated individual was committed the payor shall make 29 payment by issuing payment instrument in favor of the agency or individ- 30 ual that provided such accommodations and services, after certification 31 has been made by the head of the institution to which the incarcerated 32 individual was legally confined, that the charges for such accommo- 33 dations, maintenance and medical care were necessary and are just, and 34 that the institution has no available funds for such purpose.] 35 (d) Any [woman] person confined in an institution or local correction- 36 al facility shall receive notice in writing in a language and manner 37 understandable to [her] them about the requirements of this section upon 38 [her] their admission to an institution or local correctional facility 39 and again when [she is] they are known to be pregnant. The superinten- 40 dent or sheriff shall publish notice of the requirements of this section 41 in prominent locations where medical care is provided. The department 42 and the sheriff shall provide annual training on provisions of this 43 section to all correctional personnel who are involved in the transpor- 44 tation, supervision or medical care of incarcerated [women] persons. 45 (e) Force against a pregnant person shall not be used, except as a 46 last resort, and then only in situations in which the staff member 47 reasonably believes that force is necessary to protect themselves, the 48 incarcerated individual, or a use of physical force by the individual 49 that could cause death or serious physical injury. The use of spit 50 masks, chemical agents, tasers, weapons, chokeholds or blows to the body 51 against a pregnant person or any person within eight weeks after deliv- 52 ery or pregnancy outcome shall be strictly prohibited. 53 (f) The department shall report annually to the governor, the tempo- 54 rary president of the senate, the minority leader of the senate, the 55 speaker of the assembly, the minority leader of the assembly, the chair- 56 person of the senate crime victims, crime and correction committee and
A. 1670 4 1 the chairperson of the assembly correction committee concerning every 2 use of restraints and force on a [woman] person under this section, 3 including the reason such restraint was used, the type of restraint used 4 and the length of time such restraint was used pursuant to paragraph (b) 5 of this subdivision, but shall exclude individual identifying informa- 6 tion. The sheriff of each county shall report, in a form and manner 7 prescribed by the commission, every use of restraints on a [woman] 8 person under this section, including the reason such restraint was used, 9 reason such force was used, the type of restraint used and the length of 10 time such restraint was used pursuant to paragraph (b) of this subdivi- 11 sion, the type of force used and the length of time such force was used 12 pursuant to paragraph (e) of this subdivision, annually to the commis- 13 sion. The commission shall include such information in its annual report 14 pursuant to section forty-five of this chapter, but shall exclude iden- 15 tifying information from such report. Reports required by this section 16 shall be posted on the websites maintained by the department and the 17 commission. 18 § 2. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 837-y to 19 read as follows: 20 § 837-y. Use of restraints on pregnant and post-pregnant persons by 21 law enforcement. Where a person who is known to be pregnant, in labor 22 or delivery, or twelve weeks post-pregnancy is in the custody of law 23 enforcement, subject to custodial interrogation, or has their freedom of 24 action restricted by law enforcement in any significant way, the use of 25 restraints of any kind by law enforcement personnel shall be prohibited. 26 The provisions of this section shall at minimum apply to police 27 stations, holding facilities for prisoners, prosecutors' offices, 28 medical areas and hospitals, and any facility where persons are held in 29 detention in connection with criminal or juvenile delinquency charges 30 that have been or may be filed against them, as well as during transfer 31 to and from such locations. A person's disclosure of their status shall 32 serve as sufficient notice to law enforcement under this provision. 33 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.