New York Codes, Rules and Regulations › Title 9 - EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT › Subtitle A - Governor's Office › Chapter I - Executive Orders › Part 8 - Executive Orders (Andrew M. Cuomo) › Section 8.7 - Executive order no. 7: establishing the prison closure advisory task force

Current through Register Vol. 46, No. 28, July 10, 2024
WHEREAS, the crime rate in New York State has dropped
					 dramatically over the past decade and alternatives to incarceration have helped
					 direct individuals convicted of many non-violent crimes into programs outside
					 of conventional, traditional correctional facilities;
WHEREAS, as a result, the State prison population has
					 declined by more than 20 percent over the last eleven years, but only five
					 small facilities have been closed;
WHEREAS, the cost of maintaining the resulting empty,
					 unused prison capacity in New York State has forced New York State to redirect
					 resources away from many other budgetary priorities into facility maintenance
					 that no longer serves the safety needs of New Yorkers;
WHEREAS, New York State now faces serious financial
					 challenges in achieving a balanced budget in the 2011-12 State Fiscal Year so
					 that its current fiscal constraints necessitate specific reductions in
					 spending;
WHEREAS, the budget for the 2011-12 State Fiscal Year, to
					 be in balance, requires the elimination of excess prison capacity and the
					 closure of minimum and medium security correctional facilities that can be
					 closed without compromising the safety of inmates and employees; and
WHEREAS, the closure of correctional facilities is a matter
					 of great concern to both the affected communities and their representatives in
					 the Legislature;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the State
					 of New York, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
					 laws of the State of New York, do hereby order as follows:
A. Prison Closure Advisory Task Force
1. There is hereby established the Prison
				  Closure Advisory Task Force ("Task Force") that shall recommend correctional
				  facilities classified as minimum security level and medium security level for
				  closure during the 2011-12 State Fiscal Year sufficient to reduce excess
				  capacity to achieve the savings provided for in the State Operations
				  Appropriation Bill submitted by the Executive.
2. The Governor shall appoint 16 voting
				  members of the Task Force, which shall include: ten persons with expertise in
				  such areas as the provision of correctional services, state budgeting, business
				  or governmental operations, labor relations, or other relevant expertise; three
				  members of the New York State Assembly, two recommended by the Speaker of the
				  Assembly and one recommended by the Minority Leader of the Assembly; and three
				  members of the New York State Senate, two recommended by the Temporary
				  President of the Senate and one recommended by the Minority Leader of the
				  Senate. The Commissioner of Correctional Services shall serve as Chair and
				  shall be a voting member of the Task Force.
3. Vacancies shall be filled by the Governor,
				  and the Governor may appoint additional voting and non-voting members to the
				  Task Force as necessary. Members of the Task Force shall serve at the pleasure
				  of the Governor.
4. A majority of
				  the total members of the Task Force who have been appointed shall constitute a
				  quorum, and all recommendations of the Task Force shall require approval of a
				  majority of its total members.