N.Y. Correction Law § 41: State commission of correction; organization

§ 41. State commission of correction; organization. 1. (a) There shall

be within the executive department a state commission of correction. It

shall consist of five persons, to be appointed by the governor by and

with the consent of the senate.

(b) At a minimum, one member appointed shall be a person formerly

incarcerated in a correctional facility located in New York and one

member appointed shall have one or more of the following qualifications:

licensure as a healthcare professional authorized to practice in New

York state; licensure as an attorney authorized to practice in this

state who has a professional background in indigent criminal defense or

prisoner's rights litigation or experience as a legal policy

professional who has professional experience related to the rights of

incarcerated individuals; or professional experience in another field

deemed relevant to the promotion of an efficient, humane, and lawful

correctional system. Two of the members shall be part-time.

(c) The governor shall designate one of the appointed full-time

members as chairperson to serve as such at the pleasure of the governor.

The part-time members appointed to the commission shall receive a per

diem of five hundred dollars for work actually performed not to exceed

fifty thousand dollars in any one calendar year. The full-time members

shall devote full time to their duties and shall hold no other salaried

public position.

2. The members shall hold office for terms of five years. No member

shall serve for more than ten years. Any member of the commission may be

removed by the governor for cause after an opportunity to be heard in

such member's defense.

3. Any member chosen to fill a vacancy created other than by

expiration of term shall be appointed for the unexpired term of the

member whom such new member is to succeed. Vacancies caused by

expiration of term or otherwise shall be filled in the same manner as

original appointments.