A 6411: Directs the department of corrections and community supervision to test a program of supplying incarcerated individuals with tablets for educational and recreational means.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 6411 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY March 4, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. WALKER, SIMON, WEPRIN -- read once and referred to the Committee on Correction AN ACT in relation to directing the department of corrections and commu- nity supervision to test a program of supplying incarcerated individ- uals with tablets for educational and recreational means The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Legislative finding. The bureau of prisons offers secure 2 email service to all federal incarcerated individuals nationwide. County 3 jails in numerous states have found that granting incarcerated individ- 4 uals access to tablets with educational and recreational programs 5 including secure email reduces idle time, improves morale and increases 6 incarcerated individuals productivity. Therefore, the legislature finds 7 that it would be beneficial for the department of corrections and commu- 8 nity supervision to operate a pilot program to test the benefit of 9 providing secure email and other electronic programs to incarcerated 10 individuals. 11 § 2. The department of corrections and community supervision shall 12 develop and implement a pilot program to test the benefit of a tablet- 13 based portfolio of educational and recreation programs, including a 14 secured email program, to improve communication with incarcerated indi- 15 vidual's family, attorney, community members and organizations, and with 16 the department itself. Such pilot program shall include no fewer than 17 thirty non-internet based tablet devices providing a secure email commu- 18 nication program in addition to educational and recreational programs 19 which consider the unique needs and circumstances of the population of 20 incarcerated individuals including factors related to health, age, 21 education, religion, vocational training and other determining charac- 22 teristics as the department may deem appropriate. One year after the 23 department shall have commenced the pilot program the department shall 24 issue a report to the governor and the legislature on the impact of the EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD06031-01-5 
 A. 6411 2 1 pilot program on facility safety, behavior and performance, and other 2 indicators of the value of providing such tablet-based devices in the 3 correctional setting. 4 § 3. This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become a 5 law.