The inane ‘inmate’ debate: Letters to the Editor — July 22, 2026

The Issue: A proposal to replace the word “inmate” in the Board of Correction rule book.

So now the city Board of Correction wants to ban the word “inmate” in favor of “people with custody” (“Out with ‘inmate,’ ” July 20)?

My, my: We certainly wouldn’t want to shame any of the fine thieves, rapists or murderers in prison now, would we? One of the biggest problems with society today is that shame doesn’t exist anymore.

J. Cesare

Copiague

Since New York state has basically expunged the biased terms “mother” and “father” from its legal language, it’s great to know the word “inmate” will also be thrown onto the scrap heap of history. It turns out being called an inmate is just as offensive as being called a mother or father.

Schellie Hagan

Brooklyn

Many New York City school kids can’t read and do simple math, illegal prescription drugs are openly sold on the streets, a squalid tent city grows at the foot of one of our most popular tourist attractions — but our city officials spend time worrying about calling inmates “inmates.”

Jake McNicholas

Whitestone

We are watching George Orwell’s “1984” actually play out. Newspeak has been the agenda of these communist and socialist Democrats.

Sure, “inmate” is a very harsh word; let’s call these “people in custody” better, clearer names so we can show them the proper respect. Here’s a few suggestions for administering of law and order: murderers, rapists, drug and human traffickers, thieves, abusers and sexual predators.

Just last week, Mayor Mamdani had a lovely watch party with these vile criminals at Rikers Island. Last year, Democrats refused to stand for the families of victims of violent crime during the president’s State of the Union address. To them, war is peace, and hate is love.

Linda Greco

Cedar Grove, NJ

The mayor’s World Cup watch party at Rikers Island was appalling, and Gov. Hochul’s 2022 press release about “individuals impacted by the criminal-justice system” being “stigmatized” by “terms such as felon, inmate,” etc. is an absolute low.

We the taxpaying, law-abiding people of New York are the ones paying in all ways. Tell the inmates they are there because of their own doing.

Janice Mooney

Brooklyn

The Issue: Chief Judge Rowan Wilson’s choice of Cynthia Nixon to help pick judges for NY’s highest court.

And just like that, the lunacy continues: Having played a Harvard-educated lawyer on TV entitles Cynthia Nixon is to serve on the Commission on Judicial Nomination to vet potential judges to the Court of Appeals (“Goodbye, NY Rule of Law,” Editorial, July 18).

This would be a prime example of confirmation bias; Nixon is a staunch left-wing activist, and so she is perfect for this role.

Michelle Tranchina

Brooklyn, Conn.

Just when we thought New York hit rock bottom with Mayor Mamdani and his incompetent administration, we are proven wrong once again with the actions of Chief Judge Rowan Wilson.

His nominating Cynthia Nixon — whose only qualifications are playing a lawyer on television and being another uber lefty Marxist — to the Commission on Judicial Nomination, is an unconscionable decision that boggles the mind of any normal, thinking individual.

I guess Wilson thinks we aren’t letting criminals escape accountability fast enough in the New York court system.

J. Paino

Manhattan

Nixon is a perfect fit for the politicized, woke, fantasy land that is the current New York state judiciary, where justice is all about dramatic performance, regardless of the facts and the law.

Charles Compton

The Bronx

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