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Prison reformers want more accountability at DOCCS

Johan Sheridan / NEWS10-Nexstar — 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...

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Hochul grants clemency, pardoning 11 and commuting 2

Johan Sheridan / News 10 — Governor Kathy Hochul of New York granted clemency to 13 individuals, reducing the prison sentences of two men and pardoning 11 others. The governor has granted 120 clemencies since taking office in 2021, but advocates say this is too slow to address the backlog of almost 1,800 pending applications and rising death toll inside state prisons. The commutations and pardons were given to people who have demonstrated remorse, rehabilitation, and improvement in themselves and their communities...

Read moreHochul grants clemency, pardoning 11 and commuting 2