27-02-2025
Orleans County breaks silence, supports correction officers
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) – New York correction officers are now on day ten of their unauthorized strike, calling for change when it comes to what they called inhumane working conditions leading to safety concerns and inadequate staffing management. Officials in Orleans County, which has two state-run prisons, are now showing support for the officers.
Orleans County District Attorney Susan Howard said the impact of the strike is being felt across the region.
'It's an integral part in our community. Everybody knows someone who works at one of the facilities. Their families are here and we just wanted to show them they are in our thoughts and prayers and we are thinking of them,' she told News 8 on Wednesday.
Orleans is home to the Orleans and Albion correctional facilities and the county-run jail. On Monday – the county announced that the courthouse dome will be lit blue for the next week to show support and appreciation for those striking officers.
'On my drive home, I pass by the men's facility and I see the guys out there I know it must have been a difficult decision, you know, I'm not going to get into any labor issues and I'm certainly not pro strike – but we are pro-correction officer,' Howard said.
The HALT Act is one of the items at the center of these strikes. The Halt Act went into effect across the state in 2022 and requires all prisoners to be let out of their cells every day for at least seven hours and limits the amount of solitary confinement time an inmate can get. Many advocacy groups and incarcerated individuals are in support of it, but those on strike want changes.
Correction officers, inmates divided over NYS Halt Act
Scott Joerger, who was out on the front lines Wednesday said, 'Kathy Hochul has to come to the table and negotiate and finish this strike. I have a son in there, who's a college student, not a CO. He needs to get back to school – they need to get back to work.'
Others in attendance told me they plan on being out there for as long as it takes.
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