‘Safe for all.’ Advocates call for NYS prison system ‘overhaul’ during strike negotiations
On Day 8 of the strikes, conditions inside many state facilities continue to be a concern for the state employees protesting as well as incarcerated individuals and their loved ones; correction officers and reform advocates are demanding changes now that talks to end the unrest are underway.
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Negotiations to end a statewide prison strike are now in full swing as of Monday and while the historic talks are underway, News 12 is taking a close look at the state law at the center of the controversy, while also hearing from lawmakers about what they say should be done to fix a broken system.
“A prison should be safe for everyone whether you are incarcerated there, or you work there,” says Sen. James Skoufis. “The facility should be safe for everybody.”
Skoufis is among four lawmakers who released a joint statement on Sunday.
“We find the current state of affairs unacceptable and untenable. It’s clear we need an overhaul of our corrections system, including greater accountability and oversight as well as a meaningful improvement to working conditions. These reforms are not and cannot be mutually exclusive. Robert Brooks was murdered, period. The brutal, senseless attacks that he endured require full punishment under the law,” the statement reads. “This incident further demonstrates the need for an attitudinal shift towards zero-tolerance for staff who are violent towards other staff or incarcerated individuals as well as meaningful legislative and budgetary reforms. It must not be lost on anyone that corrections officers have one of the most difficult and dangerous jobs in New York. An already-difficult job is made near-impossible under the current circumstances: thousands of unfilled positions leading to mandatory double and triple shifts, woefully inadequate pay, a significant spike in violence against staff, and a significant increase in contraband entering prisons. These poor and unsafe workplace conditions are born out of years-long if not decades-long neglect by state government, including DOCCS. We are unequivocally calling for safer correctional facilities and safer jobs - and will be pushing for substantial reforms during budget negotiations and legislative session.”
On Day 8 of the strikes, conditions inside many state facilities continue to be a concern for the state employees protesting as well as incarcerated individuals and their loved ones; correction officers and reform advocates are demanding changes now that talks to end the unrest are underway.
The state’s 2022 reform act, HALT, which stands for Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement, is at the center of the controversy. It limits segregated confinement to no more than 15 days and 17 hours a day, while eliminating its use on vulnerable people, including those who are newly postpartum, caring for children while incarcerated and anyone under 21 or over 55 years old.
Advocates say HALT and other reforms are much-needed but critics believe the act is the reason for a spike in prison violence, and severe staffing shortages that have caused correction officers to be forced to work 24-hour shifts.
“The crux of the matter is you have thousands and thousands of positions that have been unfilled. We can talk about all the reason by which they’re unfilled,” Skoufis says. “It’s a tough job. It’s dangerous. The pay also really sucks. The state needs to finally address this.”
Skoufis says he and other officials have called on the growing need to address a brewing state prison crisis for years. He says lawmakers are not likely to repeal HALT but will be looking closely at whether it’s properly implemented, including the use of residential rehabilitation units as an alternative measure to solitary confinement.
“Many prisons and jails haven’t even moved forward with implementing proper RRU’s many years later and that’s a fundamental problem.”
Correction officers, however, say RRU’s are being used at prisons and that the unit’s alleged relaxed policies surrounding the operation of the units, including allowing an increased use in communication devices while housed there, are incentivizing misbehavior by incarcerated individuals.
Skoufis says he’s unaware of the policy inside residential rehabilitation units, but that strike negotiations should include better pay for correction officers, ways to incentivize new recruits, body cameras for all correction officers and full body scanners for anyone entering prisons.
“These are common sense measures,” Skoufis says, “But unfortunately it’s taking a crisis to press the state to act.”
On Monday, the Department of Community Corrections and Supervision said that state parole officers have joined the New York National Guard to fill-in for correction officers on strike. They also say whether prison conditions during the crisis may have contributed to the death of a prisoner at Auburn Correctional Facility is under investigation.
