NYC Council Introduction 925

intro.nyc/0925-2023 2022-2023 Legislative Session
NYC plumbing code, and the NYC building code, in relation to the terms “inmate,” “prisoner,” and “incarcerated individual” and other similar terminology as used therein.
Status: Filed (End of Session) Committee on Criminal Justice
Sponsored by Tiffany Cabán
Introduced: February 16, 2023

This bill would replace the terms “inmate” and “prisoner,” as well as “incarcerated individual,” with person-first language (PFL) such as “persons incarcerated” and “persons in custody” throughout the City Charter, the Administrative Code, the Plumbing Code, and the Building Code. PFL is a linguistic prescription that emphasizes personhood over status-saturated identifiers. This law would seek to eliminate conscious and subconscious dehumanization associated with the terms “inmate” and “prisoner.” Notably, this is a stylistic modification that does not impact the substance of modified sections.

Sponsors: 7