Dissapointingly, the NYS Assembly did not vote on the Protect In-Person Visiting bill during the 2023 session. The state legislature does not reconvene until January 2024. In the meantime, we will continue educating legislators about the importance of protecting in-person visits in New York's prisons and jails to ensure that video conferencing can never replace seeing a loved one in person.  

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CALL TO ACTION

Call, email, and Tweet your NY State legislators and ask them to Protect In-Person Visits by co-sponsoring Bill S3318/A6488.
 

Find your NY State Legislators here.

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​Sample phone/email script:​

Subject: Protect In-Person Visiting, Bill S3318/A6488

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Dear _____________ ,                                          , 

Visiting is a lifeline for families with incarcerated loved ones,, but limited visiting hours at some jails make it difficult to visit and I am alarmed that jails across the country are replacing in-person visits with video conferencing. The Protect In-Person Visits bill (S3318/A6488) would require correctional facilities to offer evening and/or weekend visiting hours and protect in-person visits from being replaced with video conferencing in New York. 

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The Senate passed this bill three sessions in a row and I urge the legislature to pass the bill during the 2024 legislative session.

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Thank you.​