Failed policies created dangerous powder-keg environment; long past due for action; repeal HALT
From the Office of Phil Palmesano,
Assemblyman Phil Palmesano (R,C-Corning) is reacting with outrage to news that four staff members were recently assaulted at Elmira Correctional Facility. According to the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOPBA), a nurse and three other staff members sustained injuries while delivering medication to an incarcerated individual. The assault resulted in the nurse sustaining a fractured shoulder.
“The dangerous assaults happening on staff are disgusting; our correctional and civilian staff put their safety at risk every day they step inside our correctional facilities. Under one-party Democrat control, assaults are rising because of failed and dangerous policies. In fact, in the first three years of HALT, inmate-on-inmate assaults rose by 169%, assaults on staff rose by 76% and the amount of contraband entering prisons rose by 32%, said Palmesano.
Palmesano says to combat this, the HALT Act, which takes away and limits correctional officers’ ability to segregate the most dangerous and violent inmates, must be repealed. He co-sponsors legislation to repeal the HALT Act (A.3217). He is also the co-sponsor of a bill that would amend the HALT Act (A.10430). This legislation mirrors proposals put forth by the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS), the Governor’s Office of Employee Relations, the Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), NYSCOPBA, the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA), Council 82 and the Public Employees Federation (PEF).
“HALT has been an utter failure since it was implemented. We continue to see more and more stories like this every week of staff being attacked and hurt by dangerous inmates. The failed policies, like HALT, that Albany Democrats continue to advance, have created a dangerous and violent powder-keg environment inside the walls of our correctional facilities. It is long past due for the governor and Legislature to act. My Assembly and Senate Republican colleagues and I remain steadfast in our belief that the HALT Act should be repealed, but because Democrats don’t seem to have the political will to do so, it should at least be amended to provide a safer environment for staff and even other inmates. I want everyone who works inside our correctional facilities to know how much I appreciate all they do for us and that I will always have their backs and will continue to advocate for them in Albany,” concluded Palmesano.
Assemblyman Palmesano represents the 132nd District, which includes Schuyler County, Yates County and parts of Chemung County, Seneca County and Steuben County. For more information about Assemblyman Palmesano, please follow him on Facebook.
