Lawmakers and a union representing New York corrections officers are criticizing Gov. Kathy Hochul's proposal to close more prisons in the next fiscal year.
Hochul, a Democrat, included the plan in her $233 billion state budget proposal. She wants the authority to expedite the closure of up to five prisons with 90 days' notice.
The budget does not detail which correctional facilities could be closed if the language is part of the final spending plan. A briefing book released by the Hochul administration explains the proposal would allow the state to "act expeditiously to right-size and eliminate excess capacity."
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The state, which has 44 correctional facilities, has closed 24 prisons since 2011 due to a declining incarcerated population. After topping 72,000 in 1999, the prison population is down to 32,766, according to the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
Hochul did not pursue prison closures in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 budgets. But her plan to shutter more correctional facilities ranked the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association, a union that represents corrections officers in state prisons.
Gov. Kathy Hochul's 2024-25 budget proposal includes a plan to close more state prisons.
NYSCOPBA's leadership worries that more closures will increase prison violence at a time when it's at record levels — DOCCS reported there were 1,671 assaults on staff and 2,107 assaults on incarcerated individuals in 2023 — and force staff to either relocate or leave their jobs.
"As the violence increases and staffing levels plummet, mandatory overtime for correction officers and sergeants has spiked to record highs," NYSCOPBA President Chris Summers said. "This overtime is well documented and it is unsustainable. Continuous mandates are straining members' physical and mental health, their families and their quality of life. Members are burning out at alarming rates."
Summers continued, "How can the state of New York demand that our members continue working in these conditions and have the mental and physical ability to keep incarcerated individuals and staff safe? Members need relief."
NYSCOPBA urged Hochul to keep prisons open and to add more staff.
The union's message is supported by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, including Assemblyman Billy Jones, a Democrat and former corrections officer, and Republican state Sen. Jim Tedisco.
In a statement, Jones said he is "highly disappointed" that Hochul wants to close more prisons. He prefers a different approach — one that focuses on making the job safer for correctional staff.
Tedisco opposes the "willy-nilly closing of correctional facilities" because, he said, it will lead to overcrowding in the remaining prisons.
State Sen. James Skoufis, a Hudson Valley Democrat, also opposes Hochul's plan to close more prisons. State correctional facilities are woefully understaffed, he said. He supports increasing pay and hiring more corrections officers.
"At a time when our correctional officers feel undervalued and demoralized, it is high time to focus on increasing safety in our state facilities and paying a living wage," Skoufis said.
The prison closure proposal will be one of many policy ideas debated during budget negotiations. Hochul will work with legislative leaders to negotiate the budget, with the goal of finalizing the spending plan by April 1 — the start of the next fiscal year.
Politics reporter Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.
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