REPORT: NYSCOPBA says state has “largely ignored” its concerns; calls for meeting with DOCCS

The New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association, the union which represents prison guards, says there is a lengthy list of concerns impacting correctional officers and the state apparently has been ignoring them.

According to a press release from Union President Chris Summers, the union is trying to arrange a meeting with New York’s DOCCS because prisons are overwhelmed by staffing shortages, while going on to say the situation has reached a “critical point” in the wake of this year’s wildcat strike, where several guards picketed as a last resort to show their displeasure with the current working conditions.

Some 2,000 guards have been terminated for failing to accept the final offers from the state to return to work.

In an effort to try and address the staffing crisis, the DOCCS has proposed early releases for inmates close to the end of their sentences, who are not convicted of violent felony or sex offenses, but the union has spoken out against that idea, as President Summers claims that move “undermines public safety.”

“It is time for the State and DOCCS to recognize these concerns and work together with us to find lasting solutions,” Summers emphasized.

NYS Prison image.