NYC Board of Correction Proposes Terminology Change in Jail Regulations

The New York City Board of Correction plans to eliminate the term “inmate” from its regulations, replacing it with “person in custody.” This change is part of an ongoing effort to ensure that incarceration doesn’t define a person.

The proposal follows a 2021 initiative that aimed to remove the word “inmate” from the Board’s Minimum Standards. Officials stated that people should not be labeled solely by their incarceration. In 2021, the Board remarked that individuals in custody are people first and that their imprisonment should not be their defining characteristic. This commitment involved switching to person-first language in official communications and standards.

Replacing terms such as “inmates” with “people,” “persons,” and “individuals in custody” has been at the heart of this shift. The proposal intends to extend these revisions across more segments of the regulations. The rulebook has seen numerous updates, including changing “Classification of Prisoners” to “Classification of People in Custody.” A “person in custody” is defined as anyone confined within a facility.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani recently visited Rikers Island, where he spoke with individuals in custody. During a World Cup semifinal match, Mamdani emphasized that those at Rikers are New Yorkers, both now and when they leave.

This move isn’t unique to New York City. In 2022, Governor Kathy Hochul replaced the word “inmate” across state laws with “incarcerated individual.” However, New York City chose the term “person in custody” instead.

The new terminology coincides with growing public focus on the city’s correctional system. Recently, Rikers Island hosted a FIFA World Cup semifinal watch party attended by Mamdani, the Democratic mayoral nominee. Mamdani highlighted that those at Rikers remain integral members of New York’s community.

The Board’s revisions aim to modernize regulations, aligning language with the philosophy that incarceration is not a person’s sole identity. Fox News Digital sought commentary from the Board of Correction regarding their choice of “person in custody” over the state’s “incarcerated individual” and whether there had been public feedback on the proposal.

Additionally, comments were requested from the Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association and the Vera Institute of Justice. Greg Wehner, a reporter focusing on U.S. news and crime for Fox News Digital, covers various issues impacting communities across the nation.