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"The tension is building up. I've never seen it like this," Waters said. "There’s no programming, no religious services, you can’t send mail or get visitors. We’re not used to being around each other for this many hours day in and day out." Waters' account raises serious questions about the sustainability of the National Guard to provide adequate supervision and maintain a safe environment within the prisons.

On Monday, the striking corrections officers and their supporters gathered near the Coxsackie Correctional Facility in the Hudson Valley, holding signs that read "NYS Failed Us" and "Wildcats." Ed Ventre, a retired corrections officer, told reporters that the strike was primarily about unsafe working conditions.

"No one has ever seen the amount of violence and disregard for the safety of the officers, not to mention the fact that staffing is at an all-time low and officers are being mandated to work 24 hours straight with the threat of termination should they leave the prison," Ventre said.

The statistics speak volumes: assaults on prison system staff jumped from 1,043 in 2019 to 1,938 in the first 11 months of 2024. Assaults on inmates also ballooned from 1,267 in 2019 to 2,697 for the first 11 months of 2024. These numbers suggest a system under immense strain, where violence is on the rise and safety is compromised.

Last week, six correctional officers were charged with murder in connection to the December beating death of inmate Robert Brooks at Marcy Correctional Facility, drawing further scrutiny to the situation.

For a deeper dive into the law without the jargon, join my Patreon community, Legal Insights and Strategies by Samuel Lopez, for exclusive analyses, templates, and insider tips.

USA Herald

Samuel A. Lopez