Latest news with #HALTSolitaryConfinementAct
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
HALT Act sponsor defends bill as state Republicans try for second repeal attempt
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — The HALT Solitary Confinement Act has become a controversial bill, playing a part in the correctional officer strike that lasted for three weeks in New York State. Snow tapers, milder weather on the way HALT Act sponsor defends bill as state Republicans try for second repeal attempt The Atlantic posts more texts from Signal chat group CNY homeschooled teen takes courses to save lives with Upstate trauma's team Preble's cemetery takes a huge hit and seeks the community's help After working as a correction officer for 27 years, Stephen Woodward retired once the HALT Act was signed. 'They could come out, punch an officer in the face, break their eye socket, get 15 days in a special housing unit or rehabilitation unit, come right out and do it over again,' Woodward said. State Senator Julia Salazar, the bill's sponsor, says otherwise. 'It is not accurate when people claim that there aren't consequences for serious offenses. People can be held in RRU for up to a year,' she said. 'They are still subject to discipline. They are still separated from the general population. They can still have privileges taken away from them.' Salazar says HALT prohibits people with disabilities and mental health issues from solitary confinement and requires out-of-cell time for those in segregated confinement. Over the last four years, she has visited prisons and correctional facilities across the state and says HALT isn't being enacted. 'People with serious mental health conditions are continuing to be placed in the special housing units, and we also saw instances of people being held for over 15 days at a time, without being moved to a rehabilitative unit,' Salazar said. State Senator Daniel Stec has seven prisons in his district. For the second time, he's introducing a bill to repeal HALT. 'We're going to give them another opportunity to get it right. To realize that people who debated against this bill a few years ago and said it was a bad idea and make us less safe,' he said. 'Now, we have data that proves we are right. There's an opportunity to do the right thing.' Despite Salazar's claims, Stec says the HALT Act has rewarded inmates for bad behavior. 'I want to know what Julia Salazar and some of my colleagues would say to the spouse of someone that had their face caved in by a sock with something heavy in it. That happens, and they'll never see again,' he said. 'What is the deterrent inside prisons where if someone does something like that, the worst they'll get is a timeout for 15 days, where they'll have Wi-Fi and tablets.' According to DOCCS, assaults on corrections staff have gone up each year under the HALT Act. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Corrections officers strike for second day: Demanding for safer conditions in prisons
AUBURN, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — For the second consecutive day, correction officers across the state, including those at Auburn Correctional Facility, protested for safer working conditions and safety measures. Over a hundred strikers stood across the street from Auburn's prison since 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 19, holding signs and chanting for change after reaching a breaking point after years of staff shortages and increased violence inside of state prisons. Judge grants order to stop correction officers strike Across New York state, there are approximately 30 correctional facilities where its officers and sergeants participated in either protesting their current work conditions inside of these prisons or simply refusing to enter the prisons for their scheduled shifts. In response to the protests, Governor Kathy Hochul has activated National Guard troops and is on standby to provide security that is missing from correctional employees who are out on strike. On Wednesday, strikers could see National Guard troopers entering Auburn Correctional Facility. One of the strikers outside of the Auburn prison, who wanted to remain anonymous, emphasized that this strike isn't about their wages; it's about their safety. All they wish is to go to work and perform their duties because, like most, they're mothers, fathers, and baseball coaches who have families and lives to attend to outside of the prison walls. 'The stats don't lie; for years, we've been sending stats. Assaults on staff are through the roof, and inmate-on-inmate assaults are through the roof. We are showing them that this prison system is not safe anymore, and it's fallen on deaf ears,' the anonymous striker said. These corrections officers are frustrated by the HALT Solitary Confinement Act enacted in March 2022, which they believe has caused many issues they face daily. This law limits the use of solitary confinement for any incarcerated individual over the age of 55, under the age of 21, and anyone who has a disability or is pregnant. 'Every day, getting assaulted, and there are no repercussions anymore. If I write a ticket on an inmate who is violating the rules of New York State prison, guess what you gotta send them right back out to the CHOW program, so basically, where's the line,' the striker said. Negotiations have continued throughout the day between the state's correctional officers association and the governor's office toward a resolution. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
