N.Y. Civil Rights Law § 72: Term of imprisonment of civil prisoner

§ 72. Term of imprisonment of civil prisoner. No person shall be

imprisoned within the prison walls of any jail for a longer period than

three months under an execution or any other mandate against the person

to enforce the recovery of a sum of money less than five hundred dollars

in amount or under a commitment upon a fine for contempt of court in the

nonpayment of alimony, maintenance, distributive awards or special

relief in matrimonial actions or counsel fees in a divorce case where

the amount so to be paid is less than the sum of five hundred dollars;

and where the amount in either of said cases is five hundred dollars or

over, such imprisonment shall not continue for a longer period than six

months. It shall be the duty of the sheriff in whose custody any such

person is held to discharge such person at the expiration of said

respective periods without any formal application being made therefor.

No person shall be imprisoned within the jail liberties of any jail for

a longer period than six months upon any execution or other mandate

against the person to enforce the recovery of a sum of five hundred

dollars or over or for a longer period than three months where the

amount is less than five hundred dollars, and no action shall be

commenced against the sheriff upon a bond given for the jail liberties

by such person. In computing the term of imprisonment time spent within

the prison walls of any jail and time spent within the jail liberties

shall be included. Notwithstanding such a discharge in either of the

above cases, the judgment creditor in the execution, or the person at

whose instance the said mandate was issued, has the same remedy against

the property of the person imprisoned which he or she had before such

execution or mandate was issued; but the prisoner shall not be again

imprisoned upon a like process issued in the same action or arrested in

any action upon any judgment under which the same may have been granted.

Except in a case hereinbefore specified nothing in this section shall

affect a commitment for contempt of court.