Governor should heed message from COs and make prisons safer

Editor:

Let’s talk about COs’ safety at our state prisons. Effective yesterday on Feb. 17, Collins Correctional Facility is on strike.

As of today several other facilities, including Albion have joined in the strike. The state calls this illegal and the COs’ union NYSCOPBA states the strike is not sanctioned by the union. Which in itself exacerbates the problems.

Let me start by saying I support the COs 100%. The State has put them at serious risk with new rules, budget restraints and outright ignorance of inmate rights vs. corrections officers’ and staff’s rights.

I’ve had plenty of friends who work both at the Albion and Groveland facilities and you hear horror stories about COs being attacked and not much they can do about it. Now this strike is mostly about mandatory 24-hour shifts. And the COs’ inability to protect themselves while being attacked and the inability to enforce rules with effective punishments.

I’m told that In response to the strike, Hochul and her band of thugs have responded by locking in COs at Groveland for 24 hours (with threats of arrest if they leave) while their brothers are outside the wire striking. Apparently striking is illegal for State workers. News flash Kathy, allowing workers to work in deplorable and impossible conditions is illegal, too.

PESH (government workers equivalent of OSHA) is in charge of workplace safety but guess what, PESH is run by the government, and either has no enforcement power, or refuses to support workers.

Horror stories coming out of Albion and other state run facilities have been shared by COs for years and get worse daily. Neither PESH or NYSCOBPA seem to have the backbone to do anything about it.

Punishment rules have been abolished, enforcement of 24-hour mandatory shifts. COs attacked with little done about it. We have become way too soft on criminals both outside and inside state corrections.

This is just deplorable and something needs to be done. If the state refuses to allow COs to enforce prisoner rules and hold them accountable, if COs cannot defend themselves with at least the same enforcement as the attack they are experiencing, if the Union, and PESH refuse to support their right to work in a safe environment, then what are their options? Illegal or not, this strike should act as an eye opener. Hopefully our bureaucratic leaders are listening.

Mike Clemons

Dansville, former Albion resident