Requires all incarcerated individuals who do not have a high-school diploma or its equivalent to receive a reading proficiency level assessment and dyslexia screening upon intake by the department of corrections; requires for such individuals who perform below a certain proficiency level to be provided with intervention services that are evidence-based, effective and consistent with science-based research specifically tailored to addressing dyslexia.
Requires rates paid for rehabilitation and opioid treatment be pursuant to certain fee schedules published by the office of addiction services and supports.
Provides immunity from prosecution for certain individuals engaged in prostitution who are victims of or witnesses to a crime and who report such crime or assist in the investigation or prosecution.
Requires each appropriate institution housing a defendant due to mental disease or defect to assign a critical time intervention care management team to the defendant and make a single point of access referral for the defendant prior to such defendant's discharge.
Enacts the "Lieutenant Joseph Banish mental health act" which establishes a law enforcement peer support program to provide confidentiality for communications arising out of law enforcement peer support counseling; defines terms; provides exceptions for when a peer support communication may be disclosed.
Requires police officers to receive training instruction for crimes involving sexual assaults; requires training for child protective services workers in certain instances.
This bill allows criminal cases in counties outside cities with over one million residents to be transferred to specialized mental health courts in neighboring counties. It requires the defendant's motion, consent from both district attorneys, and excludes family violence cases where the accused and victim are family members. The transfer cannot take effect for five days unless the receiving court agrees to accept the case earlier. This creates a formal process for connecting defendants with treatment-focused courts in adjacent jurisdictions.
Requires that following the acquittal after trial or the sentencing of any defendant for a felony, the district attorney, or their designee, shall mail a written summary of the disposition of such felony to any victim who was not present at the time that the defendant was sentenced or acquitted after trial.
This bill amends multiple New York State laws to replace the terms "addict" or "addicts" with "person with substance use disorder" or a similar phrase throughout legal texts. It specifically updates references in the judiciary law (affecting court proceedings), mental hygiene law (governing treatment programs), and public health law (regarding controlled substance dispensing). The change applies to all relevant legal documents, including those describing mental health hearings, treatment eligibility, and medication administration protocols. This terminology shift aims to reduce stigma by using person-centered language consistent with modern healthcare and legal standards. The bill was signed into law as Chapter 511 on November 21, 2025.
This bill (S 8196) establishes specialized "youth parts" in each county's superior court to handle cases involving juvenile and adolescent offenders. It expands eligibility for judges presiding over these youth parts beyond family court judges to include qualified superior court judges with specific training in juvenile justice and adolescent development. All judges in these youth parts must complete mandated training on topics like adolescent behavior, effective treatment methods, and custody. The youth parts will have exclusive jurisdiction over these cases, except where other laws provide exceptions.
