NY S08612

Establishes a 9-member advisory board within the Department of Corrections to develop decarceration emergency management plans for use during state disaster emergencies declared by executive order.

Advisory board membership includes the corrections commissioner, health commissioner, homeland security director, 2 formerly incarcerated individuals, and 3 governor-appointed members with expertise in emergency planning, corrections, and constitutional rights.

Board shall visit each facility every 3 years and make recommendations on emergency release eligibility criteria, evacuation procedures, and operational changes to ensure safety during disasters.

Department must develop facility-based decarceration plans within 1 year of receiving board recommendations and update them annually; plans must include lists of incarcerated individuals eligible for emergency release based on specified criteria including medical vulnerability, age over 55, primary caregiver status, and sentence completion progress.

Incarcerated individuals released during a state disaster emergency cannot be remanded back into custody after the emergency terminates; department must report releases and fiscal savings to the governor and legislature within 48 hours of emergency declaration.