New York corrections officers and sergeants statewide have entered their second week of protesting and striking over unsafe working conditions, which they say have been caused by Democrat prison reform legislation and an unresponsive governor.

Here’s everything you need to know about the escalating conflict.

When the strike started and what sparked it

The strike started on February 17, with officers from two New York prisons striking over unsafe conditions. The movement swelled in support, and now thousands of officers and sergeants from 38 of the state’s 42 prisons are participating in the strike.

Notably, the strike has not been sanctioned by the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOPBA), which is the government-affiliated union for correction officers, making this a “wildcat strike.” The union, though, is currently working to negotiate with the state for officers. 

As for the timing of the strike, officers say it’s a long-overdue reaction to Democrat-backed prison reform legislation and Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul and her predecessor, Democrat Andrew Cuomo, ignoring their complaints about safety and mandated work shifts that can sometimes exceed 48 hours at a time, according to officers. 

Additionally, days before the strike, officials locked down the Collins Correctional Facility in Erie County due to an inmate uprising. There was also a memo circulated by the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) advising prison superintendents “that 70% of DOCCS’ original staffing model is the new 100%.” DOCCS has since claimed that the memo was partly referencing “vacant positions.” 

What the striking officers are demanding

First and foremost, officers want prison reform legislation called the “Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement” Act, or the HALT Act, repealed. The legislation went into effect in 2022 and mandates what proponents say are “more humane alternatives” to solitary confinement, while also limiting which inmates can be placed in solitary at all. 

Officers and their supporters say the legislation hasn’t worked; it’s made prisons less safe for inmates, officers, and others who work in prisons, including maintenance, nurses, and social workers. They’ve cited DOCCS stats, saying that since the HALT ACT was implemented, there’s been a 169% increase in inmate-on-inmate assaults, a 76% rise in inmate-on-staff assaults, and a 32% bump in contraband cases.

Currently, parts of the HALT Act are suspended due to the ongoing strike. 

What officers and supporters are saying 

While most officers will not speak directly to the media, there are retired officers participating in protests and expressing their frustrations. For example, Suzanne Furman retired months ago as a sergeant and told CBS that the job has become far more dangerous than the public knows. 

“You go to work and you don’t know if you’re gonna go home, and that’s a true statement,” she said. “The general public does not know how dangerous this job has become.”

The HALT Act and other so-called prison reform policies have created an unsafe environment, which has, in turn, crushed recruitment efforts, officers say. The shortage has forced COs — including those who have put substantial time into the system and their pensions — to work long hours, which further contributes to safety issues.  

One corrections officer, who did not disclose a name, told local news station 13WHAM that their shift started on Monday, but they were not relieved until four days later.

“I was inside for 77 hours,” the officer said. “Then I came out and I’m really struggling mentally, from everything that happened, and especially the way the state implemented everything.”

“You just expect people to keep working insane hours,” the officer added.

Some fed-up officers are speaking out on public message boards. A woman named Sarah Tompkins alleges that while working at Green Haven Correctional Facility last year, an inmate tackled her to the floor and ripped out her hair. She provided photos of her injuries and said the inmate was only hit with harassment in the second degree, which is a violation, not a crime.

A male officer also shared photos of his injuries that allegedly occurred on the job and wrote, “I got punch[ed] in the face 3 times in a 30 day span.” 

Another person shared a video of an officer being attacked by an inmate. “This is an inmate attempting to slice an officer’s throat and kill him. K I L L H I M. Not injure him, not strike him, and not just cut him,” he wrote. “KILL HIM!”

Republican state senator Pamala Helming said that earlier this month, a female officer at Groveland Correctional Facility was sitting at her desk when an inmate attacked her; she was choked, punched, and kicked in the face. 

How has Gov. Kathy Hochul reacted? 

Gov. Hochul has been very forceful with striking officers, telling them to “do your job” and calling the strike illegal. She even sued striking officers to get them to report back to work, citing a violation of the “Taylor Law,” though some supporters of the officers say there is a provision about safety that makes the strike lawful.

Over the weekend, in relation to Hochul’s suit, the administration directed state troopers to serve papers on striking officers, which threatened them with arrest if they didn’t show up to court this week and subsequently return to work.

She’s also working for the state to stop paying for health insurance coverage for those on strike. They’ll have to cover their entire share of their health insurance premium, which can be hundreds or thousands of dollars more a month. And if an officer can’t cover it, their insurance will be terminated.

On Monday, Hochul activated 6,500 National Guard members to help run the prisons while officers continued to strike. A spokesperson for Hochul said 5,100 members have already been deployed across the state.

Additionally, the DOCCS will be docking two days of pay for every day an officer remains on strike, and Hochul on Thursday moved to give her office the power to shut down up to five state prisons with 90 days of notice. The governor has already closed prisons during her tenure, which officers say is only compounding safety issues. 

Inmate death during strike and other issues 

As the strike continues and officers’ demands go unmet, the death of an inmate is drawing attention. A 61-year-old male inmate named Jonathon Grant was found unresponsive on Saturday at the Auburn Correctional Facility, where National Guard members have been deployed, an NBC affiliate reported. Grant was serving a 34-to-40-year sentence for rape and burglary.

“Since the strike began, Legal Aid has received dozens of reports from incarcerated clients across New York State about their inability to access critical medical care and essential prescriptions, including blood pressure medication and necessary insulin shots,” The Legal Aid Society said, the report noted. “This tragic incident highlights the dangers posed by the ongoing strike, as staff in over 40 prisons refuse to fulfill their duties.”

There have also been reports that CO recruits who are not yet fully trained have been mandated to go to prisons and work as the strike continues.

National Guard members have allegedly been subjected to “deplorable conditions” inside the NY prisons.

Additionally, all visitations — both personal and legal — are canceled at facilities statewide, the DOCCS announced Thursday.

How mediation is going

Mediation between the two sides began Monday, with a reported offer from DOCCS for two times the hourly rate for overtime, the nixing of that controversial staffing-reduction memo, and suspension to certain provisions in the HALT Act — though there is reported skepticism from officers about the offer.

So far, no deal has been met. 

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New York corrections officers and sergeants statewide have entered their second week of protesting and striking over unsafe working conditions, which they say have been caused by Democrat prison reform legislation and an unresponsive governor.

Here’s everything you need to know about the escalating conflict.

When the strike started and what sparked it

The strike started on February 17, with officers from two New York prisons striking over unsafe conditions. The movement swelled in support, and now thousands of officers and sergeants from 38 of the state’s 42 prisons are participating in the strike.

Notably, the strike has not been sanctioned by the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOPBA), which is the government-affiliated union for correction officers, making this a “wildcat strike.” The union, though, is currently working to negotiate with the state for officers. 

As for the timing of the strike, officers say it’s a long-overdue reaction to Democrat-backed prison reform legislation and Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul and her predecessor, Democrat Andrew Cuomo, ignoring their complaints about safety and mandated work shifts that can sometimes exceed 48 hours at a time, according to officers. 

Additionally, days before the strike, officials locked down the Collins Correctional Facility in Erie County due to an inmate uprising. There was also a memo circulated by the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) advising prison superintendents “that 70% of DOCCS’ original staffing model is the new 100%.” DOCCS has since claimed that the memo was partly referencing “vacant positions.” 

What the striking officers are demanding

First and foremost, officers want prison reform legislation called the “Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement” Act, or the HALT Act, repealed. The legislation went into effect in 2022 and mandates what proponents say are “more humane alternatives” to solitary confinement, while also limiting which inmates can be placed in solitary at all. 

Officers and their supporters say the legislation hasn’t worked; it’s made prisons less safe for inmates, officers, and others who work in prisons, including maintenance, nurses, and social workers. They’ve cited DOCCS stats, saying that since the HALT ACT was implemented, there’s been a 169% increase in inmate-on-inmate assaults, a 76% rise in inmate-on-staff assaults, and a 32% bump in contraband cases.

Currently, parts of the HALT Act are suspended due to the ongoing strike. 

What officers and supporters are saying 

While most officers will not speak directly to the media, there are retired officers participating in protests and expressing their frustrations. For example, Suzanne Furman retired months ago as a sergeant and told CBS that the job has become far more dangerous than the public knows. 

“You go to work and you don’t know if you’re gonna go home, and that’s a true statement,” she said. “The general public does not know how dangerous this job has become.”

The HALT Act and other so-called prison reform policies have created an unsafe environment, which has, in turn, crushed recruitment efforts, officers say. The shortage has forced COs — including those who have put substantial time into the system and their pensions — to work long hours, which further contributes to safety issues.  

One corrections officer, who did not disclose a name, told local news station 13WHAM that their shift started on Monday, but they were not relieved until four days later.

“I was inside for 77 hours,” the officer said. “Then I came out and I’m really struggling mentally, from everything that happened, and especially the way the state implemented everything.”

“You just expect people to keep working insane hours,” the officer added.

Some fed-up officers are speaking out on public message boards. A woman named Sarah Tompkins alleges that while working at Green Haven Correctional Facility last year, an inmate tackled her to the floor and ripped out her hair. She provided photos of her injuries and said the inmate was only hit with harassment in the second degree, which is a violation, not a crime.

A male officer also shared photos of his injuries that allegedly occurred on the job and wrote, “I got punch[ed] in the face 3 times in a 30 day span.” 

Another person shared a video of an officer being attacked by an inmate. “This is an inmate attempting to slice an officer’s throat and kill him. K I L L H I M. Not injure him, not strike him, and not just cut him,” he wrote. “KILL HIM!”

Republican state senator Pamala Helming said that earlier this month, a female officer at Groveland Correctional Facility was sitting at her desk when an inmate attacked her; she was choked, punched, and kicked in the face. 

How has Gov. Kathy Hochul reacted? 

Gov. Hochul has been very forceful with striking officers, telling them to “do your job” and calling the strike illegal. She even sued striking officers to get them to report back to work, citing a violation of the “Taylor Law,” though some supporters of the officers say there is a provision about safety that makes the strike lawful.

Over the weekend, in relation to Hochul’s suit, the administration directed state troopers to serve papers on striking officers, which threatened them with arrest if they didn’t show up to court this week and subsequently return to work.

She’s also working for the state to stop paying for health insurance coverage for those on strike. They’ll have to cover their entire share of their health insurance premium, which can be hundreds or thousands of dollars more a month. And if an officer can’t cover it, their insurance will be terminated.

On Monday, Hochul activated 6,500 National Guard members to help run the prisons while officers continued to strike. A spokesperson for Hochul said 5,100 members have already been deployed across the state.

Additionally, the DOCCS will be docking two days of pay for every day an officer remains on strike, and Hochul on Thursday moved to give her office the power to shut down up to five state prisons with 90 days of notice. The governor has already closed prisons during her tenure, which officers say is only compounding safety issues. 

Inmate death during strike and other issues 

As the strike continues and officers’ demands go unmet, the death of an inmate is drawing attention. A 61-year-old male inmate named Jonathon Grant was found unresponsive on Saturday at the Auburn Correctional Facility, where National Guard members have been deployed, an NBC affiliate reported. Grant was serving a 34-to-40-year sentence for rape and burglary.

“Since the strike began, Legal Aid has received dozens of reports from incarcerated clients across New York State about their inability to access critical medical care and essential prescriptions, including blood pressure medication and necessary insulin shots,” The Legal Aid Society said, the report noted. “This tragic incident highlights the dangers posed by the ongoing strike, as staff in over 40 prisons refuse to fulfill their duties.”

There have also been reports that CO recruits who are not yet fully trained have been mandated to go to prisons and work as the strike continues.

National Guard members have allegedly been subjected to “deplorable conditions” inside the NY prisons.

Additionally, all visitations — both personal and legal — are canceled at facilities statewide, the DOCCS announced Thursday.

How mediation is going

Mediation between the two sides began Monday, with a reported offer from DOCCS for two times the hourly rate for overtime, the nixing of that controversial staffing-reduction memo, and suspension to certain provisions in the HALT Act — though there is reported skepticism from officers about the offer.

So far, no deal has been met. 

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