N.Y. STF Law § 128

§ 128. Disposition of unclaimed personal property. 1. Any personal\nproperty, and any interest or increments accruing thereon, belonging or\ncredited to a person in any institution under the jurisdiction of the\noffice of children and family services, the department of health, the\ndepartment of mental hygiene, the executive department, or the\ndepartment of corrections and community supervision who shall have been\ndischarged from such institution or who shall have died or escaped\nbefore discharge or before termination of sentence, which is in the\ncustody of the proper officer of such institution, shall, if unclaimed\nby such discharged or escaped person or by the legal representative of\nsuch deceased person for a period of six months after the discharge,\ndecease or escape of such person, be fully inventoried and a copy of\nsuch inventory shall be filed with the commissioner of such department\nhaving jurisdiction over such institution and with the state\ncomptroller.\n 2. Any such personal property consisting of money or intangible\nproperty shall be paid or delivered forthwith, by such officer, to the\nstate comptroller pursuant to the provisions of section thirteen hundred\nfour of the abandoned property law.\n 3. Such commissioner shall cause any such property consisting of\ntangible personal property, other than money, except such property as\nsuch commissioner may determine to be valueless or of such little value\nthat the probable proceeds of a sale thereof would be less than the cost\nof such sale, which property may be ordered destroyed by such\ncommissioner, to be sold at public or private sale as determined by such\ncommissioner, and the proceeds from such sale, less the expenses of such\nsale, including the costs of any advertising, shall be paid to the state\ncomptroller pursuant to the provisions of section thirteen hundred four\nof the abandoned property law.\n