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Council Member Carlina Rivera introduces legislation to improve child visitors' experience in correctional facilities
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Council Member Carlina Rivera presents Intro 420, which aims to improve the experience of children visiting incarcerated loved ones in New York City correctional facilities. She explains the bill's requirements, including providing toys and games, specialized staff training, and mandating studies on visit logistics.
- The bill requires child visiting areas to have toys, games, books, and arts and crafts
- All staff interacting with child visitors must receive specialized training
- The Department of Correction must conduct a study on implementing televisits on weekends
- The legislation aims to create a more humane and supportive environment for children visiting incarcerated parents
Carlina Rivera
0:32:28
Thank you, madam majority leader.
0:32:29
Good afternoon, everyone.
0:32:31
Today we're voting on intro four twenty which will require the department of correction to develop a program to improve the experience of children visiting their loved ones in city correctional facilities.
0:32:41
I want to thank all of the advocates for their help, especially Osborne Association in crafting this bill.
0:32:49
According to the Osborne Association, one in fourteen children have an incarcerated parent.
0:32:55
Visiting a loved one in jail should not be a traumatic or dehumanizing experience, especially for children, but I've heard from families and advocacy organizations about how unpleasant or intimidating it can be to take a child to visit a loved one.
0:33:10
Maintaining family bonds is critical to the well-being of individuals who are incarcerated and their families, yet for too long the visiting process in our city jails has been rife with issues.
0:33:20
This legislation will create a more humane and supportive environment for children visiting their parents ensuring they are met with compassion, not fear.
0:33:28
My bill will require that all children visiting areas provide toys, games, books, and arts and crafts.
0:33:33
All staff who interact with child visitors will receive specialized training.
0:33:38
All new or substantially remodeled city jails shall have a specifically designed visiting area for child visitors.
0:33:45
And the department shall conduct a study on the feasibility of implementing televisits on weekend days without reducing the number of hours for in person visits on weekend days, and that the department produce a report on the program for child visitors including information on the number of visits by child visitors, number of staff who receive training, the average length of time between the time a child visitor arrives at a jail and the time such child visitor commences a visit and more.
0:34:13
These reforms are a critical step in breaking cycles of harm and prioritizing dignity and care within our correctional system.
0:34:20
I ask for your support in voting I on intro four twenty.
0:34:23
Thank you.