Correction officer families take to Albany

ALBANY | As mediation and negotiations between the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision and the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association continued Tuesday, an outpouring of support from corrections officer families was front and center in Albany. While no official updates on mediation had been given by midday, Assemblyman Billy Jones met with families in Albany as formal strikes continued across 37 facilities and the message rallied in Albany. "I had the privilege of meeting with the loved ones of our correction officers and correctional facility staff today in Albany. Just like them, I think our officers and staff deserve to feel safe at work. Since its inception, I've disagreed with the HALT Act and have always voted against it. It's time to halt HALT and restore working order in our facilities. "I'm also tirelessly working on legislation allowing for new and improved scanning technology to be put into our facilities. This will allow for full body scans of everyone in, or entering, a prison, as well as the scanning of legal mail. Enough is enough and our officers, staff, and their families deserve better." On Monday, Jones slammed Gov. Kathy Hochul's budget amendments that open the door to potentially closing even more facilities across the state. "The Governor's proposal to include the closure of five correctional facilities in her 30-day amendments to the Executive Budget Proposal is simply not the answer to safety concerns at facilities across the state. As correctional officers protest and negotiations are ongoing, closing facilities is no way to address the valid concerns from these hardworking men and women to end the work stop. I am calling on the Governor to reverse this decision and will continue to push to keep this proposal out of the final State Budget." Ongoing mediation is centered on improved safety through updated visitor and mail screening policies, an end to mandatory overtime abuse, a repeal of policies such as the HALT Act and how crimes against officers are handled as well as officer recruitment and retention measures.

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Correction officer families take to Albany

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