Category Archives: News

PLS Board announces selection of Krin Flaherty, Executive Director

PLS Board of Directors Announces Selection of Krin Flaherty to Succeed Karen Murtagh as Executive Director On behalf of Prisoners’ Legal Services of New York Board of Directors, we announce the appointment of Krin Flaherty as PLS’ next Executive Director. This announcement follows the move of  Karen L. Murtagh, our esteemed Executive Director of PLSContinue reading “PLS Board announces selection of Krin Flaherty, Executive Director”

Settlement in PLS Shock Incarceration Program ADA/ Rehab Act litigation

ADA & Rehab Act Challenge to Shock Incarceration Program Policy Settlement On February 11, 2026, the court granted preliminary approval to the class settlement in Raymond v. DOCCS. PLS has been litigating this case since November 2020. It concerns administration of the Shock Incarceration Program. Previously, DOCCS routinely screened individuals out of the program basedContinue reading “Settlement in PLS Shock Incarceration Program ADA/ Rehab Act litigation”

First Amendment Protections for Immigrants Detained in Buffalo ICE Detention Facility

First Amendment Protections Settlement for Immigrants Detained in Buffalo ICE Detention Facility In 2025, PLS, New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), the Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center, and Covington & Burling LLC filed PLS v. DHS, 1:25-cv-00787-LJV (W.D.N.Y. 2025) to challenge ICE policies that impeded confidential communications between immigrant detainees in the BuffaloContinue reading “First Amendment Protections for Immigrants Detained in Buffalo ICE Detention Facility”

NYS Inspector General Issues Report on DOCCS’ Implementation of HALT

The Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement (HALT) Act which became law on March 31, 2022, restricts the use, duration, and circumstances of imposing solitary confinement on individuals being held in NYS correctional facilities. HALT also mandated the creation of alternative therapeutic and rehabilitative confinement options and imposed periodic public reporting requirements on DOCCS. PLSContinue reading “NYS Inspector General Issues Report on DOCCS’ Implementation of HALT”