Hochul Activates the National Guard as Prison Strike Escalates
Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order Wednesday afternoon activating more than 3,500 members of the New York National Guard in response to a wildcat strike by hundreds of state correction officers.
Background
The labor unrest, which began earlier this week, comes a day before a group of state correction officers are expected to be criminally charged Thursday for their roles in the fatal beating of an incarcerated man in Marcy Correctional Facility in Oneida County on December 10, according to the Albany Times Union. Approximately 13,229 correction officers are currently employed to watch over roughly 33,368 people behind bars.
Governor’s Response
Hochul’s order also greenlights additional overtime pay for corrections officers being deployed to the state’s 42 penitentiaries. Approximately 33 facilities are currently on lockdown due to a lack of staff, according to lawyers representing prisoners. On Monday morning, Guard members began reporting as "advance crews" at some of those facilities, according to a press release from Hochul’s office. They are there to "support and supplement" correction officers and to make sure people in prison are getting meals and medications. They are also tasked with "maintaining general order" of those unnamed sites.
The Strike
The correction officers say they are especially upset about the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Act (HALT). That measure, signed into law by Hochul, restricts the use of solitary to 15 days and bans it for pregnant women and people with mental illness. It took full effect in March 2022. The correction officers’ union has urged Hochul to repeal the law. Correction officers contend that people who act out in dangerous and violent ways must be punished even if that means isolating them for weeks or months at a time.
Solitary Fight
Hochul has brought on independent mediator Martin Scheinman to "help bring a quick and immediate end to this illegal work stoppage," according to her office. Earlier Wednesday, the Hochul administration also went to court to seek a temporary restraining order to force the striking officers to end the illegal strike.
Court Case
But the court case has had little impact on the walkout so far. The correction officers say they are willing to negotiate with the governor, but only if she agrees to repeal the solitary confinement law. "Without that, they’re just going and doing whatever they want and nothing happens to them," union president Chris Summers told NBC News Channel 13 upstate on February 13. "If you get into a fight on the dorm in the morning, they leave them there, and in the afternoon they’re doing the same thing all over again."
Conclusion
The labor dispute has blocked some people behind bars from receiving medical care and visits from friends and family, and has led to the cancellation of almost all programming, including mental health counseling and courses leading to high school equivalency degrees, according to prison officials and lawyers for people behind bars.
FAQs
- What is the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Act (HALT)?
The measure restricts the use of solitary to 15 days and bans it for pregnant women and people with mental illness. - What are the demands of the correction officers’ union?
The union is seeking repeal of the law that limits the use of solitary confinement and hiring additional staff. - What is the purpose of the National Guard deployment?
The National Guard is being deployed to support and supplement correction officers and to ensure that people in prison are receiving meals and medications. - What is the current situation in the prisons?
Approximately 33 facilities are currently on lockdown due to a lack of staff, and approximately 13,229 correction officers are employed to watch over roughly 33,368 people behind bars.
