Family Rights and Advocacy in New York | InmateAid
New York made phone calls from state prisons **free** in 2025 -- joining California, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Minnesota. For families who once paid even New York's low rate of 2.4 cents a minute under the Securus contract, calls now cost nothing. That is a real win, driven by Worth Rises, Assemblymember Harvey Epstein, Senator Jamaal Bailey, and the advocacy community.
But New York families also need the truth about the system their loved ones are in. On December 9, 2024, a 43-year-old incarcerated man named Robert Brooks was beaten to death by guards at Marcy Correctional Facility while handcuffed. Body-camera footage, released by the Attorney General, sparked national outrage. When officers faced charges, roughly 15,000 of them launched an illegal three-week wildcat strike in February-March 2025 that left tens of thousands of people locked in their cells, disrupted mail, visits, food, and medication, and during which at least seven more incarcerated people died -- including 22-year-old Messiah Nantwi, allegedly beaten to death by guards at Mid-State Correctional Facility. The National Guard was deployed; about 2,000 guards were fired.
If your loved one is in the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS), you are navigating a system in open crisis. The good news: New York has some of the strongest, oldest prisoner-rights and family organizations in the country. This guide covers free calls, the organizations that monitor and litigate these conditions, and how to advocate.
DOCCS: 1220 Washington Ave, Albany, NY 12226 | (518) 457-8126 | doccs.ny.gov
What Families Are Facing in New York
DOCCS holds more than 32,000 people across roughly 40 prisons, many in remote upstate areas five or more hours from New York City, where most incarcerated people's families live. The state is closing several prisons amid a severe staffing crisis (about 4,500 officer vacancies, with National Guard troops still deployed in facilities).
Major facilities:
- **Sing Sing** -- Ossining, Westchester County (closest to NYC)
- **Green Haven** -- Stormville, Dutchess County (maximum)
- **Attica** -- Attica, Wyoming County (maximum; site of the 1971 uprising)
- **Auburn** and **Clinton (Dannemora)** -- among the oldest; Clinton is in the far north Adirondacks
- **Marcy** and **Mid-State** -- Marcy, Oneida County (central NY; the facilities where Robert Brooks and Messiah Nantwi were killed)
- **Bedford Hills** and **Taconic** -- Westchester County (women)
- **Albion** -- Orleans County (women; far western NY)
- **Great Meadow, Wende, Elmira, Fishkill, Sullivan, Coxsackie** -- across upstate
**The distance problem**: Most DOCCS prisons are upstate; most families are downstate. A visit to Clinton or Albion from New York City is an all-day or multi-day trip. This is why free transportation programs (see Osborne's Loved Ones Link below) matter so much in New York.
On phone: FREE as of 2025 (Securus is the vendor). No charge to families.
On mail and packages: DOCCS has restricted family care packages and routes some purchases through approved secure vendors. Advocates have condemned the package restrictions. Body scanners at visits have produced false positives on menstrual products and medical implants, causing visitors who traveled long distances to be turned away. Confirm current package and mail rules at doccs.ny.gov.
On visitation: you must be on the approved visitor list. Visits have been disrupted by the staffing crisis and lockdowns. Confirm the current schedule for your facility before traveling.
On the HALT Act: New York law limits solitary confinement, but DOCCS has been found to be violating it (see below).
Your Rights as a Family Member in New York
Visitation rights
To visit, your loved one's counselor sends visiting request forms; you complete and return them, and once approved you receive the facility's visiting days and hours. Bring government-issued photo ID. Be prepared for body-scanner screening.
A documented problem: body scanners often produce false positives for menstrual products or medical implants, and visitors who traveled long distances have been forced to wait outside, sometimes in freezing temperatures, before staff cancel their appointments. If this happens to you, document it and report it to the Correctional Association of New York and Prisoners' Legal Services.
If your loved one's visitation is restricted as a disciplinary penalty, Prisoners' Legal Services' Family Matters Unit may be able to challenge it (see below).
Communication rights
Phone: FREE as of 2025. Securus is the vendor; set up a contact account, but calls are no longer charged. Calls are recorded except legal calls. Your loved one places outbound calls.
Mail: send to the facility with the incarcerated person's name and DIN (Department Identification Number). Books from publishers/approved vendors. Care-package rules have changed -- verify current directive.
Notification rights
DOCCS is not required to notify family of transfers. Use the DOCCS Incarcerated Lookup at doccs.ny.gov to find your loved one's facility. DOCCS notifies next of kin for serious medical emergencies and deaths.
Grievance rights
Internal DOCCS grievances must be filed by the incarcerated person. Family members cannot file internal grievances directly.
But New York has unusually strong external channels for families:
- **Correctional Association of New York (CANY)**: the legislatively authorized prison monitor -- cany.org
- **Prisoners' Legal Services of New York (PLS)**: plsny.org
- **Disability Rights New York (DRNY)** (for disability issues): drny.org
- DOCCS main: (518) 457-8126
- Your New York state legislators at nysenate.gov and nyassembly.gov
The Correctional Association of New York: The Legislative Monitor
Correctional Association of New York (CANY)
cany.org
CANY is one of the most important resources in this entire series. Founded 180 years ago, it is the only independent organization authorized by the New York State Legislature to monitor and inspect state prisons and report its findings to lawmakers and the public. Executive Director Jennifer Scaife.
What this means for families: CANY visits facilities, documents conditions, and publishes monitoring reports. When your loved one tells you about conditions inside -- solitary confinement, lack of out-of-cell time, medical neglect, violence -- CANY is the body that can independently verify and report it. They documented that the number of people in segregated confinement increased after the HALT Act passed (because DOCCS under-implemented the law), and they have reported on the Brooks killing and the strike's aftermath.
If your loved one is experiencing conditions you believe violate the law -- especially solitary confinement beyond HALT's limits -- contact CANY. Reform legislation in the "Robert Brooks Agenda" would expand CANY's oversight powers further.
Prisoners' Legal Services of New York: Born from Attica
Prisoners' Legal Services of New York (PLS)
plsny.org
50 Beaver Street, Albany, NY 12207
PLS was created by New York State in response to the 1971 Attica uprising. It is an independent nonprofit that represents incarcerated New Yorkers on conditions of confinement: brutality and abuse, inadequate medical and mental health care, improper disciplinary hearings, denial of programming, wrongful sentence computations, and suspension or termination of visitation rights.
For families, PLS's **Family Matters Unit** is especially valuable. Supervising Attorney Mary Cipriano-Walter, **518-445-6050 x1110**. The unit helps incarcerated parents:
- Challenge disciplinary penalties that restrict phone or visit contact with their children (administrative appeals, and Article 78 court challenges if needed)
- Petition family court for visitation with their children
- Reduce and cap child support arrears that accumulate during incarceration
The Family Matters Unit serves parents convicted in, or with children residing in, Albany, Bronx, Erie, Kings, Nassau, Queens, and Richmond counties. If a disciplinary penalty is cutting your loved one off from their children, this unit exists precisely for that.
New York Family Advocacy Organizations
Osborne Association
osborneny.org
The Osborne Association serves people and families affected by the criminal legal system at every stage. Its standout program for families is **Loved Ones Link**, a partnership with DOCCS that provides **free roundtrip transportation to more than a dozen correctional facilities** so families can visit their incarcerated loved ones. In a state where most prisons are hours from where families live, free transportation is one of the most concrete forms of help available. Osborne also runs Recreation programs for families with an incarcerated loved one.
Alliance of Families for Justice (AFJ)
afj-ny.org
8 W. 126th Street, 3rd floor, New York, NY 10027
AFJ supports, empowers, and mobilizes families of incarcerated people and people with criminal records to catalyze systemic change. For families who want to connect with others and turn their experience into advocacy and voting power, AFJ is a Harlem-based organization built for exactly that.
Release Aging People in Prison (RAPP)
rappcampaign.com
RAPP (Executive Director Jose Saldaña) advocates for the release of aging and long-incarcerated people through Elder Parole and the Second Look Act. For families with an aging loved one or someone serving a very long sentence, RAPP is the advocacy organization pushing for pathways home.
HALT Solitary Campaign
Co-director Jerome Wright
The coalition behind the HALT Act, still fighting for its full implementation. In 2025 it filed a complaint with United Nations special rapporteurs over New York's use of solitary confinement. If your loved one is being held in solitary in violation of HALT, this campaign is documenting exactly those violations.
Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM)
famm.org
National network including New York families.
Prisoner Rights Organizations Families Can Contact on Their Loved One's Behalf
Prisoners' Legal Services of New York (PLS)
plsny.org
The Attica-born statewide legal services organization for incarcerated New Yorkers. For brutality, medical/mental health neglect, disciplinary hearings, sentence computation, and visitation. The Family Matters Unit (518-445-6050 x1110) for parent-child issues.
Correctional Association of New York (CANY)
cany.org
The legislative prison monitor. For documenting and reporting conditions, especially solitary confinement and HALT violations.
Disability Rights New York (DRNY)
drny.org
The federally mandated Protection and Advocacy system for New York. Provides free civil legal assistance to people with disabilities in state prisons and local jails, challenging abuse, neglect, discrimination, and civil rights violations through litigation, monitoring, and investigation. For any incarcerated person with a disability or serious mental illness, DRNY is the contact.
The Legal Aid Society (Prisoners' Rights Project)
legalaidnyc.org
The Legal Aid Society litigates systemic prison conditions cases, including the lawsuit that won a July 2025 injunction requiring DOCCS to comply with the HALT Act.
Human Rights Defense Center (HRDC)
humanrightsdefensecenter.org
Phone (for family members): 561-360-2523
HRDC advocates on prison communication costs, mail policies, and publications access. For wrongful mail or publication rejection, family members can contact directly.
The Brooks Killing, the Strike, and HALT: What Families Should Understand
You deserve an honest account of the system your loved one is in.
**Robert Brooks**: On December 9, 2024, guards at Marcy Correctional Facility beat Brooks, a 43-year-old handcuffed man, so severely he died the next day. The Attorney General released body-camera footage (recovered through a video-recall feature, because the officers had not activated their cameras). Multiple officers were charged; some pleaded guilty. Several had reportedly been part of a "beat-up squad" that terrorized people at Marcy for years.
**The strike**: When officers faced accountability, roughly 15,000 of them at 40 of New York's 42 prisons walked off the job in an illegal wildcat strike (February-March 2025). For three weeks, tens of thousands of incarcerated people were locked in their cells up to 23 hours a day. Mail, visits, food, medication, programs, and college courses were disrupted. At least seven incarcerated people died, including Messiah Nantwi, 22, allegedly beaten to death by guards at Mid-State Correctional Facility during the strike. The National Guard was deployed; about 2,000 guards were ultimately fired.
**HALT**: The Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement Act (effective 2022) bars solitary confinement beyond 15 consecutive days and requires out-of-cell programming in Rehabilitative Residential Units. DOCCS has been found to under-implement and violate the law. During the strike, DOCCS suspended parts of HALT; the Legal Aid Society sued and won a July 2025 court injunction requiring compliance. Advocates report the 2024 suicide rate in New York prisons was about triple the average of the prior two decades.
What this means for you: if your loved one is being held in solitary beyond HALT's limits, denied out-of-cell time, or harmed by staff, these are documented, litigated problems -- not isolated complaints. CANY, PLS, the Legal Aid Society, and the HALT Solitary Campaign are actively working on exactly these issues.
How to File a Complaint on Your Loved One's Behalf
Step 1: Document everything specific
Date, facility, staff name if known, what happened. For solitary: document the duration and out-of-cell time. For medical issues: what was requested, when, the response. For staff violence: any injuries, witnesses, and whether body cameras were on.
Step 2: Correctional Association of New York (CANY)
cany.org. The legislative monitor. Report conditions, solitary confinement, and HALT violations.
Step 3: Prisoners' Legal Services (PLS)
plsny.org. For legal representation on conditions, brutality, medical care, disciplinary hearings, and (Family Matters Unit) parent-child visitation. 518-445-6050.
Step 4: Disability Rights New York (DRNY)
drny.org. If your loved one has a disability or serious mental illness.
Step 5: DOCCS and elected officials
DOCCS: (518) 457-8126. Your state senator and assembly member at nysenate.gov and nyassembly.gov. The Legislature is actively debating the "Robert Brooks Agenda" reform bills -- constituent contact matters.
Step 6: The Attorney General and federal escalation
The NY Attorney General's office investigated the Brooks killing. For federal civil rights violations: DOJ Civil Rights Division (justice.gov/crt). For federal facilities in New York: BOP Northeast Region.
What families cannot compel: You cannot file an internal DOCCS grievance for your loved one. You cannot override classification, medical, or parole decisions. External organizations can investigate and litigate but cannot guarantee outcomes.
Staying Connected: The Practical Guide for New York Families
Phone
FREE as of 2025. Securus is the vendor; set up a contact account, but calls are no longer charged to you or your loved one. Outbound only. All calls recorded except legal calls.
Send to the facility with the incarcerated person's name and DIN. Books from publishers/approved vendors. Care-package rules have been restricted and may route through approved secure vendors -- verify the current directive at doccs.ny.gov before sending a package.
Sending money
Through the DOCCS-approved method (verify current vendor and options at doccs.ny.gov or the InmateAid New York send money page).
In-person visits
Get on the approved list (your loved one's counselor sends the forms). Confirm the current visiting schedule for the facility -- it may be affected by staffing and lockdowns. Expect body-scanner screening; if a false positive turns you away, document and report it.
Free transportation
Osborne Association's Loved Ones Link provides free roundtrip transportation to more than a dozen DOCCS facilities. Contact Osborne (osborneny.org) to see if your facility is covered.
Locating your loved one
DOCCS Incarcerated Lookup: doccs.ny.gov
InmateAid New York inmate search: [internal link]
Supporting Yourself While Supporting Them
New York is a hard place to have a loved one incarcerated right now. The Brooks killing, the strike, the deaths, the ongoing fight over solitary confinement -- this is a system in crisis, and you are not imagining the dysfunction. But New York also has the deepest bench of prisoner-rights and family organizations in the country, built over more than a century.
If something is wrong inside, the Correctional Association of New York (cany.org) is the legislative monitor that can independently verify and report conditions, and Prisoners' Legal Services (plsny.org) is the Attica-born organization that represents incarcerated people on exactly these issues. Use them.
If a disciplinary penalty is cutting your loved one off from their children, PLS's Family Matters Unit (518-445-6050 x1110) exists for that specific problem.
If the distance to the prison is the barrier, Osborne's Loved Ones Link (osborneny.org) provides free transportation.
If your loved one has a disability or serious mental illness, Disability Rights New York (drny.org) has federal authority to help.
And calls are free now. Use them -- regular contact is both your lifeline and, as DOCCS's own commissioner acknowledged, a factor in your loved one's safety and successful return home.
Worth Rises (worthrises.org) helped win free calls in New York and tracks vendor practices nationally.
Dial **211** for local community resource referrals across New York.
Frequently asked questions
Are phone calls free in New York state prisons?
Yes. New York made phone calls from state prisons free in 2025, joining California, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Minnesota. Securus is the vendor, but calls are no longer charged to families or incarcerated people. Previously New York had one of the lowest rates in the country at 2.4 cents per minute.
What happened to Robert Brooks?
Robert Brooks, a 43-year-old incarcerated man, was beaten to death by guards at Marcy Correctional Facility on December 9-10, 2024, while handcuffed. Body-camera footage released by the Attorney General sparked national outrage. Multiple officers were charged and some pleaded guilty. His killing, and the prosecution of the officers involved, triggered an illegal three-week guard strike in early 2025 during which at least seven more incarcerated people died, including Messiah Nantwi at Mid-State Correctional Facility.
What is the HALT Act?
The Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement Act (effective 2022) limits solitary confinement in New York to no more than 15 consecutive days (or 20 in a 60-day period), excludes vulnerable groups, and requires out-of-cell programming. DOCCS has been found to under-implement and violate the law; the Legal Aid Society won a July 2025 court injunction requiring compliance. If your loved one is held in solitary beyond these limits, contact CANY, PLS, or the Legal Aid Society.
What is the Correctional Association of New York?
CANY (cany.org) is a 180-year-old nonprofit that is the only organization authorized by the New York State Legislature to independently monitor and inspect state prisons and report to lawmakers and the public. It documents conditions including solitary confinement and HALT violations. Families can report conditions to CANY for independent verification.
What is Prisoners' Legal Services and the Family Matters Unit?
PLS (plsny.org) is an independent nonprofit created after the 1971 Attica uprising to represent incarcerated New Yorkers on conditions of confinement. Its Family Matters Unit (Supervising Attorney Mary Cipriano-Walter, 518-445-6050 x1110) helps incarcerated parents challenge disciplinary penalties that restrict contact with their children, petition for visitation in family court, and reduce or cap child support arrears. It serves parents connected to Albany, Bronx, Erie, Kings, Nassau, Queens, and Richmond counties.
Is there free transportation to visit someone in a New York prison?
Yes. The Osborne Association's Loved Ones Link program, a partnership with DOCCS, provides free roundtrip transportation to more than a dozen correctional facilities. Because most DOCCS prisons are far upstate from where most families live, this is one of the most valuable family resources in the state. Contact Osborne at osborneny.org.
Can I send a care package to someone in a New York state prison?
DOCCS has restricted family care packages and routes some purchases through approved secure vendors. Advocates have condemned these restrictions. Books must come from publishers or approved vendors. Verify the current package directive at doccs.ny.gov before sending anything, as the rules have changed and packages sent outside the rules may be rejected. --- [SPEC NOTE: Series folder 1intOvghBAhj6-_YzDsYllOy4scUOeEGh. Internal CTAs: New York inmate search, send money to New York inmates, New York reentry resources, Staying Connected hub, how prison works hub. SOURCING: doccs.ny.gov July 2025 phone policy (DOCCS makes contact with families free; Commissioner Daniel F. Martuscello III strong family bonds rehabilitation reduce recidivism; free phone calls; three free calls per week 15 minutes; Securus $0.024 per minute domestic; New York joins California Colorado Connecticut Massachusetts Minnesota; recidivism 18.9% goal 17% by 2030; Harriman State Campus 1220 Washington Avenue Albany NY 12226-2050 518-457-8126; Senator Jamaal Bailey Assemblymember Harvey Epstein Worth Rises Assemblyman Eddie Gibbs); nyclu.org July 2025 (Robert Brooks died December 10 2024 day after beaten by guards Marcy Correctional Facility handcuffed infirmary bed; corrections union condemned; 42 prisons strike; HALT 15 days torture UN; DOCCS undermining HALT; solitary population increased; at least one murdered DOCCS staff prison across street from Brooks during walkout); cityandstateny.com September 2025 (HALT 15 days out-of-cell programming; Robert Brooks Marcy Messiah Natwi/Nantwi Mid-State; 17 officers Brooks several pleaded guilty; package prison reform bills await Hochul; 12 people died during strike; Legal Aid Society sued suspension won preliminary injunction; HALT Solitary Campaign UN complaint torture special rapporteur; Jerome Wright co-director; Second Look Act Elder Parole); news10.com March 2026 (coalition letter Hochul ongoing staff violence HALT violations; solitary suicide 7x self-harm 15x; Ladale Kennedy 2022 waterboarding death Upstate Correctional; Brooks 2024 Marcy; visitation restrictions ban family care packages; Martuscello Brooks v Farina; 75% Black or Hispanic; Parole Board 3x likelier white; body scanners false positives menstrual products medical implants visitors wait freezing temperatures appointments canceled; 32000 population); inquest.org April 2025 (Martuscello firing guards unauthorized absences; strike interrupted food medication mail family visitations educational programming counseling; locked cells 24 hours weeks; Jose Saldaña Release Aging People in Prison; strike February 17; National Guard; NYSCOPBA); nystateofpolitics.com October 2025 (HALT 15 consecutive days; CANY report segregated confinement increased; Jennifer Scaife CANY Executive Director seven hours out of cell Rehabilitative Residential Unit; Julia Salazar HALT does not need changed needs implemented chairs Senate Crime Victims Crime Correction; 4500 openings 30% of 15000; 3000 National Guard 2600 deployed; Brooks Oneida County); nysfocus.com May 2025 (body cameras $18 million all facilities mid-summer turned on; Robert Brooks Agenda expand Correctional Association New York 180-year-old oversee prison conditions; discipline without mandatory arbitration; Marshall Project arbitrators reinstated 3 of 4 fired officers; minimum age 21 to 18; 4500 guard positions; Eddie Gibbs first formerly incarcerated elected); peoplesdispatch.org March 2025 (Brooks 12-year sentence Marcy beaten December 9 footage James December 27; Attica 1971; Jennifer Scaife CANY independent monitors; Marcy notorious 2016 guard riot; 90-day suspension HALT Martuscello; Messiah Nantwi; Legal Aid Society); miscellanynews.org November 2025 (Feb 20 2025 DOCCS paused HALT; March 8 90-day; July 1 Judge Daniel Lynch enjoined DOCCS suspending HALT; Hochul ended strike March 10 firing 2000; close five prisons; Jonathan Grant 61 diabetic Auburn; Anthony Douglas 67 Franklyn Dominguez 35 Sing Sing; Messiah Nantwi March 1 Mid-State beat-up squad 22 Black; Dec 21 2024 Hochul fire 14; Trombly Farina Anzalone; HALT 17 hours definition); plsny.org + Family Matters Unit (PLS created New York State response Attica uprising independent nonprofit conditions confinement; brutality mistreatment medical mental health disciplinary hearings programming sentence jail time computations visitation; Family Matters Unit incarcerated parents disciplinary penalties telephoning visiting children; administrative appeal Article 78; petition family court visitation; child support arrears reduce cap; Mary Cipriano-Walter Supervising Attorney 50 Beaver Street Albany 12207 518-445-6050 x1110; Albany Nassau Bronx Queens Erie Richmond Kings; Raymond v DOCCS Shock Incarceration ADA settlement Feb 11 2026); osborneny.org (Loved Ones Link partnership Osborne DOCCS free roundtrip transportation more than a dozen correctional facilities families visit; Recreation programs); afj-ny.org (Alliance Families for Justice support empower mobilize families incarcerated people criminal records systemic change; WeWork Harlem 8 W 126th Street 3rd floor NY 10027; 501c3); prisonpolicy.org/resources/legal/NY (DRNY Protection Advocacy System New York free civil legal assistance disabilities state prisons local jails systemic abuse neglect discrimination confirmed July 11 2025); doccs.ny.gov Office Ministerial Family Volunteer Services (family reunification programs); cany.org Correctional Association New York 180 years legislatively authorized monitor; rappcampaign.com Jose Saldaña; legalaidnyc.org Prisoners Rights Project HALT injunction; humanrightsdefensecenter.org 561-360-2523; worthrises.org; famm.org; nysenate.gov; nyassembly.gov; justice.gov/crt; 211 NY. NOTE for Poorwa: CRITICAL -- verify free phone calls fully implemented (announced July 2025; confirm in effect, no reversal); verify Securus still vendor; verify DOCCS Commissioner Daniel Martuscello III current; verify population ~32000 and ~40 prisons (5 closures planned -- confirm which closed); verify HALT injunction (Judge Daniel Lynch July 1 2025) still in force and DOCCS compliance status; verify Robert Brooks criminal cases status (trials ongoing/verdicts); verify Messiah Nantwi case status; verify "Robert Brooks Agenda" bills -- which passed?; verify body camera rollout complete; verify CANY cany.org Jennifer Scaife current and legislative monitor status (Robert Brooks Agenda may expand powers); verify PLS Family Matters Unit Mary Cipriano-Walter 518-445-6050 x1110 and county list current; verify Osborne Loved Ones Link still operating and which facilities covered; verify AFJ afj-ny.org address current; verify DRNY drny.org current; verify RAPP rappcampaign.com Jose Saldaña current; verify Legal Aid Society Prisoners Rights Project; verify HALT Solitary Campaign Jerome Wright UN complaint; verify CARE PACKAGE / mail directive -- what is the CURRENT package policy? (families condemned ban; confirm current secure-vendor rule); verify body-scanner visitation false-positive issue current; verify DOCCS money/commissary vendor; verify DOCCS Incarcerated Lookup at doccs.ny.gov; verify DIN is the NY inmate ID term; verify FCC context not needed since calls free; len/char check before publish. NOTE: This is a heavy conditions state -- maintained factual formerly-incarcerated narrator voice without sensationalizing; deaths reported factually as relevant to family safety understanding.]
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