Recent rash of prison exposures prompt calls for action

ALBANY | The New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOPBA) is calling on DOCCS to take immediate action to address the recent rash of incidents of staff becoming ill after coming into contact with inmates who have apparently overdosed on drugs, as well as the amount of contraband that are still getting into the hands of inmates. Those drugs are causing multiple overdoses that require Narcan to be administered to reverse the lethal effects of the drugs and causing officers and medical staff to become sick, union officials said. In the first month of 2025, there have been several incidents of inmate overdoses and staff developing significant health symptoms after having contact with inmates. UPSTATE CORRECTIONAL Upstate Correctional Facility had over two dozen officers and nurses developed various symptoms that required Narcan to be administered at the facility with all staff eventually being transported to a local hospital for further treatment. On Wednesday, Jan. 22, an intoxicated inmate was brought into the infirmary after being involved in a fight with another inmate. Due to his medical condition, multiple doses of Narcan were administered until the inmate became responsive. After the Narcan was administered, the inmate remained combative with officers and bodyholds were used to contain the inmate until he became compliant. He was transported to Alice Hyde Medical Center for further evaluation. After the incident was over, 11 officers, eight registered nurses and one civilian began experiencing symptoms that included dizziness, vomiting, high blood pressure and fainting. They were all transported to Alice Hyde Medical Center for treatment. Two of the registered nurses were administered Narcan to combat their symptoms. All staff were treated and released from the hospital. Franklin County and New York State Police HAZMAT teams responded to the facility as a result of the exposure. They could not determine the substance that caused the symptoms to staff. On Saturday, Jan. 25, three officers and two registered nurses were transported to a local hospital after responding to a medical emergency in the infirmary for an inmate who was unresponsive. The three officers and two nurses immediately began experiencing symptoms of lightheadedness, and dizziness after treating the inmate. One officer and a nurse needed to be administered Narcan after they became unresponsive. After being treated at the hospital, all staff were released. State Police HAZMAT Team responded to the facility and could not determine what substance caused the medical emergency. MID-STATE CORRECTIONAL On Saturday, Jan. 25, an officer began experiencing slurred speech, was shaking, and sweating profusely after conducting a pat frisk of an inmate at Mid-State Correctional Facility. He was administered Narcan by a nurse at the facility and transported to Wynn Hospital. After the incident, a sergeant and officer conducted a search of the inmate's cube for contraband. While conducting the search, both began to experience tingling in their faces. Their symptoms progressed to the point that both began losing composure and began laughing uncontrollably. The sergeant and officer were transported to Rome Hospital for further evaluation. Utica Fire Department HAZMAT Team responded to the facility, tested the air quality and it was negative for any substance. LAKEVIEW CORRECTIONAL On Monday, Jan. 27, four officers were injured and exposed to an unknown substance at Lakeview Correctional Facility after a combative inmate attacked them as they entered his cell when he covered the cell door window and refused to respond to orders. The officers were injured when they opened his cell door, and he charged at them. They grabbed him in a body hold and forced him to the floor where he remained combative. On the floor, the inmate bit one officer's finger, breaking the skin. Once officers were able to get handcuffs on the inmate, he became compliant and was escorted to a holding cell to be evaluated. Beside the injuries the four officers sustained in the attack, they also developed shortness of breath, tightness in their chests, elevated blood pressure and fatigue. They were transported to Westfield Hospital and treated and released and did not return to duty. "The concern with the alarming number of incidents occurring coupled with the fact that hazmat teams and law enforcement officials have been unable to identify the substances responsible for these exposures underscores the need for improved drug detection methods within the facilities and enhanced safety protocols," NYSCOPBA President Chris Summers said Jan. 29. "Two inmates needed to receive multiple doses to Narcan, and an AED was utilized and CPR performed to revive both men after apparent drug overdoses at Marcy Correctional Facility this week. It is clear, with the number of incidents of unresponsive inmates in prisons across the state, dangerous drugs like synthetic marijuana (K2) and fentanyl are still getting into the prisons at an alarming rate." Summers said contraband seized in 2024 numbered 4,739, a 55 percent increase from 2022, despite having a secure vendor program that was supposed to reduce drugs and weapons from getting into the facility. "That makes it extremely dangerous for staff who must interact with inmates daily and immediately respond to medical emergencies with no knowledge of the type of drugs they are encountering," he said. LAWMAKERS REACT Following the incidents at Upstate Correctional, Sen. Dan Stec said he was extremely concerned by the apparent synthetic drug exposures. "These men and women perform a thankless job, under tremendously difficult circumstances. Given the challenges these men and women face, there is absolutely no reason that they should also have to perform their job under the specter of an unknown illegal drug exposure and overdose. "We must know how inmates are smuggling in contraband drugs and put a stop to it. It puts the lives of correction officers, civilian staff and other inmates at risk. For too long under one-party rule of state government, the governor and Democrat leaders have neglected correctional facilities and made understaffing and unsafe working conditions the norm. An investigation should only be the beginning. There must be a culture change, starting with the governor's office, that ensures these types of awful events no longer occur." Stec was scheduled to meet with Upstate Correctional staff Thursday as the official investigation continues. "As a sponsor of legislation to repeal HALT and a proud supporter of our correction officers, I'll keep working to provide our COs and civilian staff with the resources and support they need to protect themselves and others." Assemblyman Billy Jones said he was "deeply concerned about the recent exposures at Upstate Correctional Facility with an unknown substance that has put the hardworking correctional officers and civilian staff in danger within just a few days of each other. "We need to implement protections and strengthen existing policies that ensure these workers are safe and prevent contraband and these dangerous substances from getting into these facilities. Everyone deserves to feel safe at their workplace and I will continue to support workers at our correctional facilities by pushing policies to protect them." After joining the calls for a lockdown and further investigation, Jones said the lockdown was necessary "to keep all our hardworking men and women safe. Other measures need to be implemented as well such as making sure that every visitor goes through the full body scanner, a more stringent legal mail policy, and a true independent secured packaging vendor to keep contraband and dangerous substances out of correctional facilities."

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Recent rash of prison exposures prompt calls for action

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