Franklin Correctional: 'Enough is enough'

MALONE | With official mediation set to begin Monday, corrections officers still working inside Franklin Correctional Facility penned an open letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul in support of their comrades on the picket lines and urging change for the safety of all. Officers urged Gov. Hochul to address the crisis and recognize the current reality inside the state's 42 prisons. The letter reads in full as follows: Enough is enough. We write to you not as faceless employees, but as human beings- correctional officers, mothers, fathers, husbands and wives- who are breaking under the unbearable weight of a system that has abandoned us. We are the officers inside Franklin Correctional Facility, trapped within these walls, doing everything we can to uphold security for this facility and the surrounding community. But at what costs? For 144 hours and counting, many of us have been locked inside unable to see our families, unable to step away from the relentless chaos and violence we are forced to endure. We do this not because we want to, but because we have no choice. If we leave, who will protect this facility? Who will ensure the safety of our colleagues, our community and even the incarcerated individuals in our charge. We have been left with an impossible task- and we are succeeding- but at the expense of our own wellbeing. Those who have walked away from this profession have done so for legitimate reasons- reasons we understand and STAND BEHIND. Working conditions have deteriorated to the point where violence is not the exception but the expectation. Officers are mandated to work excessive shifts, forced into dangerous environments where violent behavior is met with little to no consequences. The mental and physical toll is staggering. Families are breaking under the strain. Our health is suffering. The exhaustion is suffocating. While protestors outside demand change, we are inside, living the nightmare they speak of. We freely accepted this career, knowing the risks, but what we did not sign up for was a system that disregards our safety and expects us to withstand endless brutality without support or reform. The HALT Act may have been written with good intentions, but its application has created a hazardous, lawless environment- one that jeopardizes both staff and incarcerated individuals alike. And now, instead of addressing the problem, the state is using threats and intimidation against those who have had the courage to stand up for change. Threats of legal action, removal of healthcare, and retaliation against those speaking out are nothing more than bullying tactics. Officers who have given years of service- who have risked their safety, their health, and their wellbeing- are now being treated as the enemy. This does nothing but fuel a toxic, broken system, pushing more officers away and worsening an already dire staffing crisis. Enough is enough. The only just resolution is the immediate return of officers to work- without punishment, without retaliation- and the implementation of real, substantial changes to our work environment. This is not about privilege or power- it is about survival. It is about ensuring that those who serve and protect are also protected. Governor Hochul, this is not sustainable. This is not acceptable. The declining recruitment numbers tell the real story- this is not a career people want anymore, because it is no longer survivable. We are demanding immediate action. Recognize our reality. Protect those who protect the public. Address the crisis inside our facilities before it's too late.

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Franklin Correctional: 'Enough is enough'

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