Michael Boone, a Black man incarcerated in New York State prison for a crime he insists he did not commit, is awaiting medical parole after his throat cancer diagnosis progressed to stage four. His fiancée Nya Hubbard said he is not receiving adequate care while in Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) custody.
“It is very vital for him to have medical care outside of DOCCS because they have not been addressing his medical needs,” said Hubbard. “Michael has been diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, stage two, on December 17, 2025. After he got diagnosed, DOCCS knew this [and] they [transferred him] abruptly. Michael has been changed to so many different facilities.”
Boone, 61, has long challenged his incarceration and maintained his innocence for a first-degree robbery and third-degree weapons possession conviction for stealing $10 while brandishing a knife. The incident occurred in Harlem, but Boone claims he had recently returned from a Fire Island job and withdrew substantially more money from a Bronx bank before going to Manhattan.
He faced a maximum 16 years in prison and is otherwise not parole-eligible until 2030. Currently, Boone is receiving care at Westchester Medical Center, which is contracted by the state to care for incarcerated people.
Before his arrest, Boone worked as a chef. “He’s very creative [with food],” said Hubbard. “That is one of the things that I loved about him: his passion for food. At the same time, he was the type of person that encouraged younger people to go into the field.”
Medical parole exists as a discretionary release mechanism for terminally ill individuals held by DOCCS who are almost certainly incapable of re-offending due to their condition. Similar but not identical to a compassionate release, the process goes through a board and is specifically available for people who have not reached their conditional release date.
During the process, Boone and Hubbard reached out to advocates, including VOCAL-NY organizer Nick Encalada-Malinowski. He pointed to broader issues regarding aging and sick people in New York State prisons, particularly as DOCCS bemoans an alleged staffing shortage.
“Michael is not unique. There are a lot of people that are going through the same situation that deserve relief,” said Encalada-Malinowski. “We continue to call, and have been calling, on the state to figure this out to get people home [and] get them the care they need as part of the solution to the ongoing crisis in New York State prisons.”
DOCCS declined to respond to the Amsterdam News’ request for an interview, because the agency does not comment on an individual’s medical condition.
