January 31, 2024
Assemblyman Phil Palmesano (R,C-Corning) joined Assemblyman Chris Tague (R,C-Schoharie), Assemblyman Joseph M. Giglio (R,C-Gowanda), members of NYSCOPBA, family members of correction officers and members of the Assembly Republican Conference to oppose Gov. Hochul’s plan to close up to five prisons in an expedited fashion with just a 90-day notification. Current state law requires a one-year notification process before the closing of any state correctional facility. However, Gov. Hochul is seeking, from the Legislature, an expedited process of just 90 days.
“A one-year closure notification is damaging enough to employees, their families and impacted local communities, but allowing a prison closure with just a 90-day notification is a tremendous insult to those dedicated correction officers and staff who work a very dangerous job to keep us safe. The Legislature has the ability to reject this ridiculous 90-day notification proposal and we absolutely should reject it,” said Palmesano. “I have met correction officers who first worked at Livingston Correctional facility, then Gowanda and then Southport and then were forced to move on again after all of these devastating closures. We should be treating these hard-working and dedicated employees and their families with respect. For a family to uproot themselves and find a new home and a new school for their kids takes some time and the state should recognize that and, at least, show some support and compassion to these dedicated employees working this dangerous job to keep us safe. The governor should follow the law of a one-year notification instead of pushing for a fast-tracked 90-day closure notification.”
“This, all while this administration continues its failure to address the staggering rise in violent inmate-on-staff and inmate-on-inmate assaults happening inside our correctional facilities today. These prison closures, coupled with failed policies like the HALT Act, which eliminates and restricts the use of important disciplinary tools to segregate the most disruptive, violent and dangerous inmates from the rest of the general population, has created a dangerous powder-keg environment inside our correctional facilities. In addition, this administration continues to refuse to provide our correction officers with the adequate staffing, tools and resources they need to be safe,” said Palmesano. “Their answer is to jam more violent inmates into fewer facilities. These dangerous and failed policies will continue, unfortunately, to lead to even more violence, putting our brave and dedicated correction officers and staff at even greater risk.”
“Since HALT was implemented in 2022, we have seen a staggering spike in violence inside our correctional facilities. In the past two years, inmate-on-staff assaults have increased by 42%, more than 500, to a record high of 1671 instances, and inmate-on-inmate assaults have increased by 90%, more than 1,000, to a record high of 2,107. This is dangerous and completely unacceptable,” said Palmesano.
Even as the prison population in New York has declined from 56,000 to 32,000 inmates and the state has closed more than 25 correctional facilities since 2011, violent assaults remain on the rise. Since 2011, inmate-on-staff assaults have increased by 197%, inmate-on-inmate assaults are up 217% and contraband seizures are also up 53%.
“The data is crystal clear, closing down prisons and jamming more inmates into fewer facilities, taking away important disciplinary tools to segregate the most violent and disruptive inmates and not providing our correction officers with the staffing, tools and resources they need to be safe has resulted in the most violent and dangerous conditions in our state’s history inside our correctional facilities,” said Palmesano.
“Quite frankly, we should not be closing any additional correctional facilities, especially with only an insulting, 90-day notification. We should repeal the failed and dangerous HALT Act. This administration must finally take significant action to address the violence crisis and rising assaults happening inside our prisons today. We should address the staffing crisis by aggressively increasing the pay and benefits for our correction officers and staff. We should provide sign-on bonuses to help recruit new officers and implement other longevity bonuses and benefits to help retain those dedicated employees who have worked a very dangerous job for so many years to keep us safe. We need to provide our correction officers with important tools and resources, such as body scanners and drug dogs, at every correctional facility to help keep the drugs and contraband out of our prisons, which has contributed to the rising violence and assaults. And, finally, it is long past due for this administration and state to treat our correction officers and civilian staff as the professionals they are and with the respect they deserve and have certainly earned,” concluded Palmesano.
