National Guard deployed to New York prisons where Corrections Officers are striking over work environment, safety concerns
ONEIDA COUNTY- Governor Kathy Hochul is sending in members of the National Guard to re-fill the slots where corrections officers are striking at state prisons across New York.
Since the Governor announced she would be using the National Guard, there have been numerous reports surfacing from corrections officers here locally, who have been in touch with their fellow colleagues at other facilities statewide, claiming that there have been instances where soldiers retreated and refused to go back in amidst "out of control" and "unsafe" conditions.
Though these stories reflect witness accounts and are not yet officially sourced, these several claims can be backed up with a development that surfaced early Thursday at Riverview Correctional Facility near Ogdensburg, NY, where a heavy emergency response was called in sometime around 3:00 a.m. (see the latest from WWNY-TV).
As of early Wednesday morning, these strikes found their way to local facilities in the Mohawk Valley, including Marcy, Mid-State and Mohawk, where several families in the North Country have spouses or friends who work there either as civilian staff, or as corrections officers.
We paid a visit to the Marcy Correctional Facility on Wednesday to speak with those striking.
To clarify, current corrections officers are not permitted to speak to the media, but a retired corrections officer, who attended the strikes, spoke on behalf of those striking. We plan on sharing highlights from that on Friday, February 21.
In the meantime, Governor Hochul has made clear that these strikes are illegal and those participating will be docked two-days’ pay for every day spent picketing.
According to numerous sources, a judge has also granted a temporary restraining order mandating that officers return to work under the Taylor Law, which prohibits public employee strikes.
Despite the Governor’s message on Wednesday to corrections officers to “do your jobs,” one corrections officer from the local area told us that this is their last resort to demonstrate their concerns that revolve around safety and order within New York’s prison system, specifically the HALT Act, which was a controversial legislation that basically restricted the use of solitary confinement, while creating alternatives that were either therapeutic or rehabilitative.
Read more on HALT Act below (official excerpt from 2023 annual report):
"On March 31, 2021, Governor Cuomo signed into law what is commonly known as the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement (HALT) Act (Chapter 93 of the Laws of 2021), which generally serves to restrict the use of segregated confinement in state and local correctional facilities, while creating alternative therapeutic and rehabilitative confinement options.
The legislation places strict limitations on a local correctional facility’s use of segregated confinement, which is defined as the confinement of an incarcerated individual to a cell in excess of 17 hours per day, with limited exceptions.
The segregated confinement of incarcerated individuals 21 years of age and younger, 55 years of age or older, disabled, or pregnant is generally prohibited.
Otherwise, the segregated confinement of an individual is generally limited to 15 consecutive days, or 20 days in any 60-day period.
Out-of-cell programming must generally be offered to individuals in segregated confinement at least 4 hours per day, and at least 6 hours per day for individuals confined in residential rehabilitation units (RRUs), utilized by large facilities for incarcerated individuals who have reached the time limitations of segregated confinement.
The New York State Commission of Correction (Commission) voted to adopt HALT Act-compliant regulations setting minimum standards for the imposition of segregated confinement and the operation of RRUs in jails.
The regulations became effective March 31, 2022 to coincide with the effective date of the HALT Act."
Ever since the HALT Act was implemented, this corrections officer tells us that their concerns over this legislation continue falling on “deaf” ears and that working conditions continue to become more and more dangerous as a result.
In a nutshell, corrections officers, who were striking, told us that the HALT Act has dramatically swayed the balance of order in favor of the inmates, stressing that the disciplinary system in New York’s prison system has been eroded away and that there are very little consequences for inmates who lash-out among one another, the officers and staff members.
Corrections officers striking at Marcy echoed the same pleas that once safe working conditions are restored, they will resume reporting for duty but until those conditions are met, there is a common theme where they feel this is the last resort to have their stories and concerns heard and understood.
Submitted image.
