Section 196. Violations of institutional labor regulations

Any contract
  made by the commissioner of correction or warden of any  prison,  or  by
  any   officer   or  any  other  authority  whatsoever,  of  any  prison,
  reformatory, penitentiary or  other  correctional  institution  of  this
  state,  in violation of, or contrary to, the provisions of this article,
  shall be null and void. It shall be the duty  of  any  such  officer  or
  authorities  to furnish to the attorney-general, upon demand therefor, a
  true copy, if in writing, and if not, in substance, of any contract made
  by such officer or authorities, relating in any way  to  the  system  of
  labor adopted, or to the employment of prisoners in any of said prisons,
  reformatories,   penitentiaries   or  other  correctional  institutions.
  Whenever the attorney-general shall be satisfied that any contract  made
  as aforesaid is contrary to or in violation of this article, or that any
  of  the  officers  or  authorities  aforesaid  have  entered into or are
  engaged in any contract or arrangement for the labor  of  prisoners,  or
  relating  to the system adopted or continued in said institutions, which
  contract or arrangement is  contrary  to  or  in  violation  of  law  as
  aforesaid,  if  he  shall  be of the opinion that the facts require such
  action, he is hereby authorized to bring an action in the supreme  court
  in  the name of the people of the state of New York, in any county which
  he may select, for the purpose of testing the validity of  any  contract
  or arrangement made by any of the officers herein named, relating in any
  way  to  the  system of labor adopted, or the employment of prisoners in
  any of said prisons, reformatories, penitentiaries or other correctional
  institutions, or to determine the validity of any act or thing  done  by
  any  officer  herein  mentioned,  which act or thing shall be alleged to
  have been in violation of this article.  Any  party  to  such  contract,
  agreement   or   arrangement   as   aforesaid,   or  interested  in  the
  determination of such action, shall be made defendant, and  pending  the
  trial  or  hearing  of  the  facts  alleged,  or  of  any  issue made as
  aforesaid, the court shall, upon notice  of  the  attorney-general,  and
  upon  a  petition  duly  verified  showing the making of any contract or
  arrangement in violation of the provisions of this article, or the doing
  of any act or thing by any of the parties  defendant,  in  violation  of
  this  article,  grant an injunction order, restraining the parties named
  in said order from the further prosecution of  the  business  complained
  of,  or  from  the  further  performance  of the contract or arrangement
  claimed to have been entered into as  aforesaid,  and  to  restrain  and
  enjoin  such  officer from the further continuance of any act alleged to
  be in violation of this article. And any disobedience of such injunction
  order shall be  punishable  as  provided  by  article  nineteen  of  the
  judiciary  law.  And  upon  any  trial  had,  judgment  shall follow the
  findings of fact made by the court or jury, as in other cases, and  with
  costs, in the discretion of the court.