Hundreds of corrections officers walked off the job this week. They’re calling for the repeal of the Halt Act, a law that took effect in 2022, that included the removal of solitary confinement in the state’s prisons. The corrections officers also say staffing shortages are making working conditions even more dangerous.
It is illegal for corrections officers to strike under New York law, but that hasn’t stopped the protests at nearly 30 facilities statewide, including Upstate Correctional Facility in Malone, where more than 20 staff were sent to the hospital in recent weeks after being exposed to an unknown substance. Governor Kathy Hochul called up nearly 45-hundred members of the New York National Guard to be deployed to state prisons across the state, and State Senator Dan Stec says guard members have been placed at all 3 of the prisons in Malone.
This week, Governor Hochul and DOCCS did offer to suspend parts of the HALT Act temporarily. Lawmakers from here in the North Country have all called for the full repeal of the HALT Act, as well as supporting legislation making body scanners mandatory for all visitors and inmates.
A mediator is scheduled to meet with the state & corrections officers next week in hopes of reaching a settlement and ending the walkout.