The terms “inmate,” “prisoner,” and “incarcerated individual” and other similar terminology as used therein.

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.