Committee on Criminal Justice meeting
March 24, 2026, 9:30 AM
The Committee on Criminal Justice held its FY2027 preliminary budget hearing on the Department of Probation, the Department of Correction, and the Board of Correction. The committee took testimony and recorded no votes.
What was discussed
- Chair Brooks-Powers opens the Criminal Justice budget hearing Chair Selvena Brooks-Powers opened the Committee on Criminal Justice hearing on the FY2027 preliminary budgets of the Department of Probation, the Department of Correction, and the Board of Correction, outlining that the committee would take testimony from each agency in turn followed by public
- Probation Commissioner Goodwin's opening testimony Sharun Goodwin, Commissioner of the Department of Probation, testified on the agency's FY2027 preliminary budget, saying she has worked to make the agency more evidence-based since taking the helm. She was joined by First Deputy Commissioner Robert Eusebio, Deputy Commissioner Joshua Young, and
- Has the expanded electronic monitoring capacity increased the number of people on monitors? Asked by Chair Selvena Brooks-Powers whether the $5M one-year increase in electronic monitoring capacity raised usage, Associate Commissioner Pullano said the department has not seen an overall increase in individuals released with electronic monitoring, even though capacity exists, and that an
- What is happening to Probation's workforce programs, including the sunsetting Works Plus? Asked by Chair Selvena Brooks-Powers about contracts and program sunsets, Probation's Director Richards said the adult Works Plus workforce program expires June 30 because its contract ended, while every sunsetting juvenile program has been renewed. He said programming totals about $18 million and
- How is Probation addressing its 23% officer vacancy rate? Asked by Chair Selvena Brooks-Powers and Council Member Frank Morano about staffing, Deputy Commissioner Joshua Young confirmed an approximately 23% vacancy rate, and Commissioner Sharun Goodwin attributed losses to a competitive criminal-justice labor market while pointing to probation officer
- How is Probation responding to rising juvenile arrests and youth rearrests? Asked by Council Members Frank Morano, Yusef Salaam, Tiffany Cabán, and Mercedes Narcisse about youth outcomes, Acting Deputy Commissioner Gambrell cited an increase in gun-related juvenile activity, and Commissioner Sharun Goodwin described partnerships with Columbia University's Justice Lab and
- Correction Commissioner Stanley Richards's opening testimony Stanley Richards, Commissioner of the Department of Correction, testified on the agency's FY2027 preliminary budget and his focus on improving safety, telling the committee that the department cannot 'punish our way into compliance' and that population reduction is central to safety.
- How will DOC rein in record overtime spending and recruit staff? Asked by Chair Selvena Brooks-Powers about overtime, Assistant Commissioner Faizan Zubair said DOC has spent about $240 million on overtime so far in FY26 and projects roughly $370 million by year end, and that the Preliminary Plan includes a one-time $183 million to cover the FY26 shortfall.
- What changes follow the court-appointed Remediation Manager? Asked by Chair Selvena Brooks-Powers about the federal court's Remediation Manager (Nick Deml), Commissioner Stanley Richards said Deml's official start date is the 30th, will be based on Rikers Island, and that they toured the infrastructure together. General Counsel Conroy said that once fully
- Can DOC fund replacing the thousands of failing cell doors? Asked by Chair Selvena Brooks-Powers and Council Member Gale Brewer about infrastructure, Deputy Commissioner Kevin Doherty said 2,889 doors across the island still need full conversion, and Commissioner Stanley Richards said current expense funding covers about 141 doors a year, meaning roughly
- Is DOC on track to close Rikers and open the borough-based jails? Asked by Chair Selvena Brooks-Powers and Council Members Lincoln Restler and Yusef Salaam, Commissioner Stanley Richards said the administration is committed to the borough-based jail system and closing Rikers, that population reduction is essential, and committed to providing a timeline by the
- How is DOC filling officer and captain vacancies? Questioned by Finance Chair Linda Lee and Chair Selvena Brooks-Powers, Assistant Commissioner Faizan Zubair put the civilian vacancy rate around 12% and the department-wide rate at 18%, and Chief of Department Sherrieann Rembert said the department has 490 of 703 allotted captains, with 700 being
- How is DOC handling family visits and on-time court production? Asked by Council Member Gale Brewer about visits and transportation, Deputy Commissioner James Boyd said a new Executive Director for Visit Operations has started and is assessing staffing, and General Counsel Conroy said court production is back near pre-disruption levels, citing a 99% on-time
- How is DOC managing mental health needs and deaths in custody? Asked by Chair Selvena Brooks-Powers about mental health and in-custody deaths, General Counsel Conroy said 180-200 people are on a rolling basis awaiting state mental health beds due to bed availability, and Assistant Commissioner Kathleen Zadzora and the Chief described crisis-intervention
- Board of Correction's opening testimony Jasmine Georges-Yilla, Executive Director of the Board of Correction, testified on the oversight board's FY2027 budget needs, describing a lean new-needs request. Assistant Executive Director Tiana Betancourt, the Board's Chief Savings Officer, said the Board was asked to find roughly $60,000 in
- Can the Board of Correction fill its vacancies and meet its savings target? Asked by Chair Selvena Brooks-Powers about staffing, Executive Director Jasmine Georges-Yilla and Assistant Executive Director Tiana Betancourt said hiring is constrained largely by the lengthy OMB PAR process, which can take more than a month, and that the Board recruits through NYC Jobs, Smart
- How will the Board oversee the borough-based jails and coordinate with the Remediation Manager? Asked by Chair Selvena Brooks-Powers, Executive Director Jasmine Georges-Yilla said the Board has had a meet-and-greet with the Remediation Manager, who is in the planning phase of his action plan, and Assistant Executive Director Katrina Blackman described the Board's monitoring role for the
- Correction and probation unions on staffing, pay, and safety Union leaders testified on workforce conditions: Benny Boscio of the Correction Officers' Benevolent Association pressed for safety improvements like fixing cell doors and better recruitment, Dalvanie Powell of the United Probation Officer Association raised recruitment and retention, and Dejon
- Defenders and oversight groups on Rikers conditions and reform Legal and oversight witnesses testified on jail conditions and accountability, including Michael Klinger (Brooklyn Defenders), Karen Adelman (NYC Bar Association Corrections & Reentry Committee), Julia Davis (Youth Represent), Caprice Jenerson (Office of the Appellate Defender), Damon Gilbert (New
- Reentry and alternative-to-incarceration providers on funding Providers and research groups urged sustained funding for alternatives to incarceration and reentry services, including Megan French-Marcelin (NYC Alternatives to Incarceration and Reentry Coalition), Amanda McCarthy (CASES), Luisa Taveras (Women's Prison Association), Reginald Chatman (The Fortune
Agenda
1 item
- T2026-1378 New York City Council Budget and Oversight Hearings on The Preliminary Budget for Fiscal Year 2027, The Preliminary Capital Plan for Fiscal Years 2027-2030 and The Fiscal 2026 Preliminary Mayor’s Management Report 9:30 a.m. Department of Probation 10:30 a.m. Department of Correction 1:00 p.m. Board Hearing Held by Committee