State Senator Gustavo Rivera and Assemblymember Luis Sepulveda's Translation Services Legislation Becomes Law

State Senator Gustavo Rivera announced that legislation A5548/S992, which he co-authored with Assemblymember Luis Sepulveda, has been signed into law by Governor Andrew Cuomo. This law will seek to ensure due process for incarcerated individuals whose first language is not English and who are hearing impaired by providing a certified translator at parole board interviews. This bill passed the New York State Senate on June 9 and the New York State Assembly on June 15.
 
"I commend Governor Cuomo for signing this bill into law in an effort to ensure non-English speaking incarcerated individuals are able to fully understand and participate in their parole board interviews by addressing them in their native language," said State Senator Gustavo Rivera. "This law will not only ensure that our State's parole board process becomes fairer for all New Yorkers regardless of their origin or disability, but it is also another step in our continuing efforts to reform our State's broken criminal justice system." 

Approximately 35 percent of the incarcerated population in New York State prisons are of either Hispanic origin or foreign born, with many of them not being fluent in English. In order to address this reality, this bill will require Department of Correction and Community Supervision's (DOCCS) employees to determine if an incarcerated individual requires an English language interpreter and inform the respective parole board accordingly. In addition, this bill aims to codify into law the existing practice of providing deaf language interpreters for those incarcerated individuals in need of such services.