By Noah Powelson
A new report from a Queens state senator’s office contends that violence and racism are endemic throughout New York State prison’s system, and calls on the legislature to pass reforms to prevent a repeat of the crises that engulfed the prisons last year.
On the first day of New York’s 2026 legislative session, Queens and Brooklyn State Senator Julia Salazar released a new report highlighting the year of exceptional violence seen inside state correctional facilities during 2025. The report alleges incarcerated individuals are regularly abused by correctional officers, provided insufficient medical care, and that the state fails to hold officers accountable for wrongdoing or misconduct.
“This report makes a public case that’s crystal clear, well-substantiated, and utterly devastating: the need to overhaul New York’s prisons is an emergency,” Salazar said in a statement. “State prisons are legally and ethically responsible for protecting those they detain, but incarcerated New Yorkers routinely suffer severe, lethal abuse and neglect. Misconduct toward incarcerated individuals by correctional officers is commonplace—and so are the cover-ups.”