NYCLU Applauds Onondaga Co. Legislature for Improving Oversight of Jail

The Onondaga County Legislature today passed legislation that will improve oversight at the local jail and help ensure that the basic rights of people incarcerated there are protected. The bill comes after the deaths of Chuniece Patterson and Raul Pinet Jr., two prisoners who died while in custody at the Onondaga County Justice Center. The New York Civil Liberties Union applauded the Legislature for standing up for basic transparency and accountability around serious issues such as use of force against prisoners and the grievous injury or death of a prisoner or employee at the jail.

“The creation of the new oversight committee promotes the kind of transparency and accountability we expect from our criminal justice system,” said Barrie Gewanter, director of the Central New York chapter of the NYCLU. “It is an important step toward ensuring that people housed at the Onondaga County Jail are kept safe and treated with basic human dignity.”

The new jail oversight committee will review serious incidents that occur in the Justice Center, review complaints from prisoners and other interested parties, make conclusions about related circumstances, and make recommendations to the sheriff and Onondaga Legislature. The committee’s recommendations will assist the Legislature to effectively direct resources with the goal of preventing future incidents and tragic outcomes within the Justice Center.

The legislation allows the committee to access any materials from the Sheriff’s Department that it determines are necessary for review, including written reports, records, statements, reviews, audio and video recordings, policies, procedures and training materials.

In addition to the investigation of individual incidents and complaints, the committee will provide an annual report to the public. The legislation also requires that the committee’s findings and recommendations be sent to and discussed by the Legislature’s Public Safety Committee.

Calls for increased oversight were spearheaded by the United as One Coalition in the years after the deaths of Pinet and Patterson.

“Tragically, a stay at the Onondaga Jail can become a death sentence for those housed there awaiting trial or serving time, even for minor offenses,” Gewanter said. “The NYCLU has been a key leader of the United as One Coalition and will continue our work for better policies and procedures to govern law enforcement on the street and in the jails.”