County will light up courthouse dome in blue for corrections officers

Press Release, Orleans County government

ALBION – Orleans County Legislature Chairman Lynne Johnson today said the dome on the Orleans County Courthouse will be lit blue for the next week to show concern and appreciation for corrections officers across the county and state.

Orleans County is home to two state prisons – Orleans Correctional Facility and Albion Correctional Facility as well as the county-run jail.

“These are very troubling times in our state’s prisons and we are very concerned about the safety of our corrections officers,” said Johnson. “It feels like almost everyone in Orleans County knows a person who works at one of these facilities. These corrections officers are our family members, friends and neighbors and we want them to know how much we appreciate them.”

Corrections officers have been expressing concerns over staffing levels and state legislation like the HALT Act that limits inmate discipline that they have said makes performing their difficult job even harder. The New York State Department of Corrections has just begun mediation with the corrections officers’ union to address these concerns.  Orleans County correction officers at the county jail also operate under the same rules as state prisons.

“Corrections officers at both the state and county are an integral part of our criminal justice system, keeping our community safe by maintaining order inside the walls of our correctional facilities and preparing inmates for future release back into society,” said Johnson. “This is no easy task but they do a great job under difficult circumstances. By lighting the courthouse dome blue, we want to send a message to them that they are in our thoughts and prayers.”