Building a Culture of
Safety, Humanity & Accountability
IN NEW YORK Prisons.
New York’s prison system is at a breaking point.
The December 2024 killing of Robert Brooks—while handcuffed and defenseless—exposed the brutal reality inside our prisons. Just months later, another young man was beaten to death. These are not isolated incidents—they reflect a deeply broken system where violence is normalized, and safety is a myth for both staff and incarcerated people.
But this crisis brings an opportunity.
Citizen Action of New York and the Public Policy and Education Fund (PPEF), in partnership with a growing coalition of advocates, formerly incarcerated leaders, labor allies, and community organizations, are launching a bold statewide campaign to transform prison culture.
Our goal: to end violence in prisons and create a system rooted in dignity, oversight, healing, and shared humanity.
Who We are
Grassroots organizers
With over 40 years of grassroots organizing and policy wins—including bail reform—Citizen Action and PPEF are uniquely positioned to lead. PPEF also has the capacity to regrant funds, ensuring smaller grassroots partners are resourced and at the center of the movement.
Key partners already engaged include:
VOCAL-NY
Friends and Family of the Wrongfully Convicted
Prisoner Legal Services
A Little Piece of Light
Center for Community Alternatives (CCA)
The Hour of Sunlight
A Unique Alliance
At the heart of this effort is an unprecedented partnership: former NY Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and Rosemary Rivera, a formerly incarcerated leader. Their collaboration symbolizes the deep cross-sector trust this campaign is building—unifying legal, legislative, and lived experience to reimagine justice together.
Other campaign leaders include:
Richard Dollinger (Former State Senator and Supreme Court Justice)
Rebecca Garrard (Interim Co-Director, PPEF)
Senya Bekui (Lead Organizer, Utica)
Robert Ricks (Father of Robert Brooks)
Carolyn Martinez-Class (Former Communities United for Police Reform)
Katie Schaeffer (CCA), Rebecca Brown (Strikeforce), Derrick Hamilton (FFWC), Jonathan Feldman (PLS), Nick Malinowski (VOCAL)
What We Do
Our Vision:
Real Safety for Everyone
We reject the false choice between staff safety and the well-being of incarcerated people. Instead, we embrace Dynamic Security—a model that builds safety through relationships, presence, and empathy rather than fear and control. By investing in mental health care, training, rehabilitation, and better living and working conditions, we can replace cycles of harm with a culture of care.
OUR GOALS
1
Enact structural reforms that guarantee humane conditions and rehabilitation.
2
Establish transparency and independent oversight for all prison violence.
3
Shift prison culture from punishment to healing and safety.
Strategic Actions
Launch a coordinated, statewide campaign
Center directly impacted voices through public storytelling
Train 50+ directly impacted leaders as spokespeople
Build bridges with corrections unions
Host press events, rallies, and editorial campaigns
Join Us
New York has led on bail and pretrial reforms—but conditions behind bars have gone untouched for too long. With public attention focused and a rising chorus of voices demanding change, we have a rare chance to build momentum for systemic, lasting reform.
We are seeking support to
Hire a statewide campaign coordinator
Expand our communications and organizing capacity
Provide regranting funds to grassroots allies leading this fight
This is our moment
Let’s move beyond reaction and toward real transformation. Together, we can create a prison system where everyone is safe, supported, and treated with dignity.
Media
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![Man in a courtroom covering his face with his hands]()
‘Fraught With Abuse’: Lawmakers Denounce Brutality in N.Y. Prisons
New York Times | Jan Ransom
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![Drummers held a performance in the state Capitol on Tuesday and joined mothers of incarcerated individuals to raise awareness on criminal justice bills that lawmakers are pushing to address increased violence in New York's prisons.]()
Special legislative hearing will address deaths of inmates in NY prisons
WXXI News NPR | Jeongyoon Han
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![State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Commissioner Daniel Martuscello III testifies at a legislative hearing on May 14, 2025.]()
Lawmakers press state prisons commissioner at hearing
City & State New York | Austin Jefferson
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![Advocates have called for lawmakers to enact new bills after Brooks' death in December.]()
Lawmakers eye overhaul of New York's prison system after beating deaths
Albany Times Union | Dan Clark
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![Assembly Correction Chair Erik Dilan (left) co-chaired the hearing (Lori Van Buren/Times Union)]()
What end-of-session bills are on the table in response to Robert L. Brooks' death
Capitol Confidential | Dan Clark
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![Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks alongside the Manhattan and Brooklyn district attorneys, April 16, 2025. Credit: Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY]()
Albany Push for Prison Reforms Left Out of State Budget
The City | Reuven Bleu
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![After two deaths at the hands of employees of the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, and a three week illegal correction officer strike, Wednesday presented a long awaited moment at the state Capitol: An opportunity for lawmak]()
In wake of two deaths and a strike, lawmakers hold hearing as they plot prison reforms
Spectrum News 1 Albany | Jack Arpey
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![woman in front of a podium]()
Push for change in NY prisons
NBC10 in Albany | Jamie DeLine
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![New York lawmakers to address rising deaths in state correctional facilities]()
Lawmakers zero in on reforming New York's prison system after inmate beating deaths Briana Supardi
CBS6 Albany | Briana Supardi
