Sometimes, the most difficult challenge to overcome in a race is making it to the starting line.

When it comes to making our state prison system more secure, more transparent, more just and more safe for both corrections officers and inmates, New York is just at the beginning of the race.

On Friday, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a modified package of prison reform bills precipitated by highly publicized fatal beatings of two inmates at the hands of prison staff - inmate Robert Brooks last December and Messiah Nantwi in March.

The legislation signed by Hochul contains measures that specifically address the circumstances related to those two killings. For instance,........

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