July 24, 2026
Assemblyman Phil Palmesano (R,C-Corning) is voicing his anger after there was more deadly violence inside the walls of New York State prisons. An inmate was killed during a fight inside Attica Correctional Facility, and another was killed inside Collins Correctional Facility in the past week. These deadly assaults were in addition to three previous inmate deaths at the hands of other inmates in North Country correctional facilities since April. This is the latest in a string of violent assaults, this time deadly, that have taken place inside the walls since the HALT Act was implemented.
“These are additional acts of violence, this time deadly, that could have been prevented. Inmates who are disruptive, violent and willing to murder another person do not belong among those who simply want to do their time and go home to their families. Correctional officers need the tools and the ability to segregate the most dangerous and violent inmates from the rest of the general population. Unfortunately, HALT severely restricts and sometimes eliminates their ability to do so. It is a fact that during the first three years since HALT was implemented, inmate-on-inmate assaults rose by 169%, inmate-on-staff assaults rose by 76% and the amount of contraband entering prisons rose by 32%, which is well documented as fostering violence. This is a continuing, dangerous pattern because of the failed policies of Democrats in Albany. Enough is enough; what more needs to happen before we finally fix this wrong? What’s it going to take to finally get Albany Democrats to act?” said Palmesano.
“Compounding this nightmare is a catastrophic staffing crisis caused by Albany’s total disregard for our corrections workforce. With vacancies at record highs, remaining officers are driven to extreme burnout by endless mandatory shifts. HALT has stripped these guards of critical disciplinary tools while stretching them far too thin to adequately maintain order in housing units or oversee out-of-cell programming,” continued Palmesano.
Palmesano says he will continue to push for a full repeal of HALT, and if that fails, he will push for common-sense reforms like those recommended by the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS), the Governor’s Office of Employee Relations, the Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOPBA), the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA), Council 82 and the Public Employees Federation (PEF).
“My Assembly and Senate Republican colleagues and I know HALT is a failure and isn’t working. Correctional officers and civilian staff know HALT isn’t working. Inmates know HALT isn’t working. The Administration and Albany Democrats know HALT isn’t working, but yet they continue to fail to take needed action to address this deadly problem. Unfortunately, it appears they would rather coddle disruptive, dangerous and violent inmates rather than make our correctional facilities safer for staff and other inmates alike,” added Palmesano.
“It is long past due for Albany to wake up and fix the problem they created; my Republican colleagues and I have been sounding the alarm about the violence HALT would create since the beginning. Albany Democrats’ failed policies have created a dangerous powder-keg environment that is safe for no one, not correctional officers, not civilian staff and not inmates. I will continue to push for either a full repeal of HALT or, at least, meaningful reform to make the prison system safer for everyone,” concluded Palmesano.
