Gov. Kathy Hochul faces criticism amidst correction officers striking at 30 state prisons due to rising violence linked to understaffing and restrictive policies. Under the Taylor Law, COs cannot legally strike, yet Hochul has not enforced it while also failing to address grievances regarding the 2021 HALT. This law has significantly reduced solitary confinement hours, but assaults on both staff and inmates have dramatically increased, with staff assaults rising by 65% since 2021, indicating a deepening crisis within the correctional system.
The number of inmates in solitary plunged after HALT's 2022 rollout: By Feb. 1, 2023, only 351 were in "special housing units," vs. about 1,800 the prior year.
Assaults on prison staff have shot up 65%, from 1,177 in 2021 to 1,938 through November 2024.
Assaults on inmates more than doubled, from 1,108 to 2,697.
Yet both inmates and staff remain at risk of an explosion of violence.
Collection
[
|
...
]