New York J 1818: Honoring Elizabeth "Bizzy" Coy upon the occasion of her designation as recipient of a Young Professionals Award by the Sullivan County Democrat

Bill Text

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 Speaker Carl E. Heastie

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J01818 Summary:

BILL NOJ01818 

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SAME ASNo Same As

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SPONSORMYRIE

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COSPNSR

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MLTSPNSR

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Go to top J01818 Actions:

BILL NOJ01818 

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03/25/2026REFERRED TO FINANCE

03/31/2026REPORTED TO CALENDAR FOR CONSIDERATION

03/31/2026ADOPTED

Go to topJ01818 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topJ01818 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topJ01818 Text:

Senate Resolution No. 1818

BY: Senator MYRIE

 COMMEMORATING the 50th Anniversary of the
 Prisoners' Legal Services of New York

 WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and
pay tribute to those organizations of high purpose and worthy
accomplishment whose endeavors have faithfully served the welfare of the
citizens of the State of New York; and

 WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Prisoners' Legal Services of New
York; and

 WHEREAS, The Prisoners' Legal Services of New York, formed in 1976,
is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2026 after five decades of
service to the State of New York and its residents; and

 WHEREAS, The Attica prison uprising in 1971, which began in response
to inhumane living conditions and resulted in 39 deaths, led to
statewide conversations to create a system to provide legal
representation to incarcerated individuals in New York State; and

 WHEREAS, After research and analysis into the facts of the Attica
prison uprising, prisoners' rights clinics were formed throughout the
State, including one at Albany Law School; and

 WHEREAS, In late 1973, a committee was created to consider civil
representation of prisoners; in 1974, the committee issued an in-depth
Draft Proposal for the Provision of Legal Services to Indigent Inmates
in New York State Correctional Facilities; and

 WHEREAS, The 1974 report by the committee determined that despite
all the existing legal services available to prisoners, inmates were
still not provided enough legal assistance to make the court system
accessible; the report proposed a comprehensive program initiated at the
state level to improve court accessibility; and

 WHEREAS, In response to the report, the Prisoners' Legal Services of
New York opened in 1976 with over one million dollars in funding from
the LEAA, which provided the means to hire staff and initiate
operations; and

 WHEREAS, Robert P. Patterson became the first chairman of the board
and Pierce Gerety became the first executive director; together, they
envisioned a statewide program, based in New York City, that would
include six offices throughout the State; and

 WHEREAS, Within its first year, the Prisoners' Legal Services of New
York employed 35 attorneys and 10 legal assistants to service a prison
population of roughly 16,000 individuals, creating a ratio of one lawyer
to every 450 prisoners; and

 WHEREAS, In 1978, New York State Governor Hugh Carey and the New
York State Legislature determined the Prisoners' Legal Services of New
York should be a state-funded organization, and they provided one
million dollars in the state budget to fund their operations; and

 WHEREAS, Since its inception in 1976, the staff of the Prisoners'
Legal Services of New York have worked tirelessly to fulfill its mission
of providing high quality, effective legal representation and assistance
to indigent prisoners; staff help prisoners secure their civil and human
rights and advocate for more humane prisons and criminal justice system;
and

 WHEREAS, As a result of stagnant budgets and budget cuts, the
Prisoners' Legal Services of New York has had to reduce staff; the
organization has 15 lawyers and New York's prison population is 31,600,
creating a ratio of one attorney for every 2,106 prisoners; and

 WHEREAS, Despite financial hardships and an overwhelming caseload,
the Prisoners' Legal Services of New York continues to provide thousands
of incarcerated New Yorkers the legal help they need; and

 WHEREAS, The work of the Prisoners' Legal Services of New York helps
prepare incarcerated individuals for reintegration into society by
ensuring placement in vocational and educational programs, challenging
unjust disciplinary hearings, obtaining medical and mental health
treatme