News

New York State Assembly Passes "No Condoms as Evidence" Bill (2013)

June 24, 2013

The New York State Assembly passed A2736, known as the "No Condoms as Evidence" bill, on Friday, June 20, 2013. New York is one step closer to making history as the first state in the country to enact legislation that prohibits police and prosecutors from confiscating and introducing condoms as evidence of wrongdoing. The bill (A2736/SB1369) was introduced by Senator Velmanette Montgomery and Assembly Member Barbara Clark. The New York City Council's Committees on Civil Rights and Immigration held a joint hearing on a resolution in support of this bill on June 18, 2013. At the hearing, Rashida Richardson of The Center for HIV Law & Policy testified about the alarming trend towards confiscation and criminalization of condoms. This practice undermines HIV advocacy efforts and public health campaigns, and results in the overcriminalization of women of color, immigrants, and transgender individuals.

The Center for HIV Law & Policy's testimony is available at hivlawandpolicy.org/resources/view/859

Additional information concerning condom confiscation is available at www.nocondomsasevidence.org/

Letter to New York City Mayor Urging End to Condom Confiscation (2014)

January 28, 2014

Resource

Condoms as Evidence of Prostitution in the United States and the Criminalization of Sex Work; Margaret Wurth, Rebecca Schleifer, Megan McLemore, Katherine Todrys, and Joseph Amon; Journal of the International AIDS Society (May 2013)

September 17, 2013

Resource

Criminalizing Condoms: How Policing Practices Put Sex Workers and HIV Services at Risk in Kenya, Namibia, Russia, South Africa, the United States, and Zimbabwe; Acacia Shields; Open Society Foundations (2012).

September 10, 2013

Resource

CHLP Testimony on New York City Council Proposed Resolution No. 710-A, calling on the New York State Legislature to pass A.2736/S.1379, Prohibiting Condom Possession as Evidence of Criminal Offenses. (2013)

June 18, 2013