NY A06488

State and local correctional facilities must establish visiting policies that provide incarcerated people in-person contact with relatives, children, friends, clergy, volunteers, and others to promote transformation and community adjustment upon release.

Visiting hours must include evening hours starting at 6:00 p.m. and/or weekend hours reasonably likely to accommodate in-state travelers, with a minimum duration of one hour at local correctional facilities.

Facilities must publish an overcrowding policy that considers distance traveled by visitors, visit frequency, timing of previous visit terminations due to overcrowding, and other individual circumstances.

Video conferencing may supplement but cannot replace in-person visits and does not count toward required visit frequency or duration.

No incarcerated person may be visited against their will; the act takes effect 120 days after becoming law.