New York has amended several state laws to remove the word “inmate” and replace it with “incarcerated person” to refer to people serving prison time.
The changes, signed into law Monday by Gov. Kathy Hochul, are intended to reduce the stigma of being in jail. Prison reform advocates have said the term “inmate” has a dehumanizing effect. Prisoners say it can feel degrading when jail guards refer to them as inmates, especially in front of their families during in-person visits.
The change is the latest in the state legislature’s history of amending terms in state law that may be seen as outdated or offensive. A similar measure to replace the word “inmate” in a slew of other state laws was signed in 2021 by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. “When you say someone is born a slave , it can make someone think there is a category of people who are slaves by nature, but there is no such category,” he said. “No one is born a slave. You are a human being, and then you were enslaved.”
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