Prison reformers want more accountability at DOCCS

A coalition of advocacy groups has accused New York’s Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) of ongoing staff violence and systematic violations of the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement Law (HALT Act). The groups cited several deaths in state-run prisons, including the 2022 waterboarding death of Ladale Kennedy at Upstate Correctional Facility and the 2024 beating and death of Robert Brooks at Marcy Correctional Facility. The coalition also condemned visitation restrictions and a ban on family care packages. DOCCS responded to the allegations, citing a federal ruling that rejected a motion to remove Martuscello as a defendant in the civil rights lawsuit “Brooks v. Farina.”

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEXSTAR) — Advocacy groups published a letter to Governor Kathy Hochul and state legislators on Friday alleging ongoing staff violence within the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. The letter also claimed that DOCCS continues to systematically violate the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement Law by failing to provide required out-of-cell time.