By Hank Russell
A Long Island assemblyman joined his fellow Republican colleagues from upstate New York calling for the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement (HALT) Act.
Daniel Norber (R,C-Great Neck) said the Act puts the lives of all correction officers at risk and said the law should be repealed immediately. “Our corrections officers are walking out because their lives are in danger,” he said. “They’re being forced into double and even triple shifts. … This crisis is a direct result of the HALT Act, and the governor refuses to act.
As previously reported in Long Island Life & Politics, Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay (R,C-Pulaski) called on Governor Kathy Hochul to include a repeal of the HALT Act in her 30-day budget amendments. On February 20, Barclay visited Auburn Correctional Facility to show his support for correctional officers.
LILP also reported that Hochul signed an executive order to deploy the National Guard at the state’s prison to cover the staffing shortfall. She also called for an end to the “illegal” strike as prison guards walked off the job. Barclay also wrote an op-ed that was published by LILP which called for the state to repeal the Act and settle the work stoppage immediately.
In the wake of worker protests, the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) has temporarily suspended elements of the HALT Act that “’create a significant and unreasonable risk to the safety and security of other incarcerated persons, staff or the facility,’” according to a memorandum that was sent out by DOCCS Commissioner Daniel F. Martuscello III and obtained by LILP.
- Inmate-on-inmate assaults have increased 169%
- Inmate-on-staff assaults have increased 76%
- Instances of contraband have increased 32%
With shortages of correction officers, closures of prisons and violence, it has “created a powder keg environment,” said Phil Palmesano (R,C-Corning). “This is unacceptable, dangerous and unsustainable and must be addressed now,” he said.
Palmesano pointed out that there are currently more than 2,000 vacant correction officers to be filled. Further, Hochul twice vetoes the “death gamble” bill, which would allow the families of fallen correction officers who died on the job to collect their pensions. “We’re at a tipping point and the path we’ve been on clearly hasn’t worked,” he said.
“The governor’s failure to act is putting our correctional officers in harm’s way,” added Matt Simpson (R,C-Lake George). “The HALT Act has crippled our prisons, and officers are paying the price. These men and women are working grueling double and sometimes triple shifts without the tools or support they need to stay safe. It’s unacceptable. We need to repeal the HALT Act immediately or we risk further violence and lives lost.”
“It is deeply concerning that the governor’s response to these legitimate demonstrations has been subpoenas rather than support and acknowledgment,” said Anil Beephan (R,C-East Fishkill). “Our correctional officers deserve better.”
LILP reached out to Hochul’s office and is waiting to hear back.
“She created this mess, and now she’s abandoning the brave men and women who keep our prisons secure,” Norber said. “We must repeal HALT now,”