EPV CALL TO ACTION
Women incarcerated at Bedford Hills are facing dangerous and inhumane conditions that demand immediate action.
TAKE ACTION TODAY!You can do these three things in under 10 minutes to help. Scripts and links below!
WHAT’S HAPPENING
As we honor the contributions of women during Women’s History Month, we find ourselves in the midst of a moral crisis at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, the largest women’s prison in New York, where there have been three deaths in roughly four weeks, two of them suicides.
The Gathering for Justice, the Freedom Agenda, End Prison Violence, New Hour LI, Families and Friends of the Wrongfully Convicted, A Little Piece of Light, and many organizations have joined forces to call for an immediate response to the crisis plaguing incarcerated women. And we need your help to get the word out.
Sign the Petition
1
Three deaths in just weeks have exposed a growing crisis at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility. Sign the petition to demand immediate action to protect the health, safety, and rights of incarcerated women. Stand with the women of Bedford Hills.
Call Governor Hochul
2
Call Governor Hochul calling for the removal of DS Blot and for the passage of the CARE Act and other legislation.
(518) 474-8390
Office hours:
9:00am to 5:00pm
Phone script for Governor Kathy Hochul:
Hello, I’m calling because we are in the midst of a crisis at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, the largest women’s prison in New York, where three people have died in about four weeks, including two suicides, amid reports of prolonged lock-ins, unsafe conditions, and deteriorating mental health.
Advocates and incarcerated women have raised urgent concerns for months, and the situation has worsened, with allegations that Deputy Superintendent Blot’s leadership has contributed to abusive conditions and serious human rights violations.
I’m urging Governor Hochul to immediately remove DS Blot and support legislation that protects the health, dignity, and well-being of incarcerated pregnant and postpartum people and their families, starting with the CARE Act.
Call Commissioner Martuscello
3
Call Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Commissioner Martuscello calling for removal of DS Blot and for a plan from DOCCS to improve conditions immediately.
Office hours:
8:00am to 4:00pm
Phone script for Commissioner Martuscello
Hello, I’m calling because we are in the midst of a crisis at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, the largest women’s prison in New York, where three people have died in about four weeks, including two suicides, amid reports of prolonged lock-ins, unsafe conditions, and deteriorating mental health.
Advocates and incarcerated women have raised urgent concerns for months, and the situation has worsened, with allegations that Deputy Superintendent Blot’s leadership has contributed to abusive conditions and serious human rights violations.
I’m urging Governor Hochul to immediately remove DS Blot and support legislation that protects the health, dignity, and well-being of incarcerated pregnant and postpartum people and their families, starting with the CARE Act.
petition
We are in the midst of a crisis at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, the largest women’s prison in New York, where there have been three deaths in roughly four weeks, two of them suicides. Incarcerated women have been reporting deeply troubling conditions for months, prompting the End Prison Violence campaign to send this letter to Dept of Corrections & Community Supervision (DOCCS) Commissioner Martuscello months ago. In it, we describe collective and extended lock-ins, the elimination of indoor recreation/communal areas, reports of physical violence, lack of menstrual hygiene and sanitation, and barriers to family visits.
Since that time conditions have not improved. Advocates say the situation is already taking a toll on mental health, with reports of severe depression, mental health breakdowns, and collapsing morale inside the facility.
Since sending this letter, we have learned more about the crisis, which many incarcerated people attribute to the recent arrival of Deputy Superintendent (DS) Blot, who comes to the women’s prison with a history of horrifying allegations of sexual assault, physical assault, racist attacks, retaliation, and the encouragement of suicide across three different correctional facilities for men.
A recent report from the Department of Justice about sexual victimization in prisons found that two of New York’s women’s prisons have the highest numbers of reported sexual victimization in the country, with Bedford Hills sitting at the top of the list.
The reports raise urgent concerns about basic human rights, safety, and dignity.
We call for the immediate removal of DS Blot and for the passage of legislation that protects the health, dignity, and well-being of incarcerated pregnant and postpartum people, their children, and their families, starting with the CARE Act.
We stand with the women of Bedford Hills.