At least seven prisoners in New York have died in just over two weeks since correctional officers triggered the prison system's largest work stoppage in four decades. Officers at two upstate prisons first walked off the job on Feb. 17, complaining of unsafe working conditions tied to a 2022 law that put limits on the use of solitary confinement. By last week, 90% of the state's prison guards were on strike, reports the New York Times. More than 7,000 National Guard soldiers were called in, though some say they weren't given clear instructions, or any means to protect themselves, and felt unprepared. Inmates say they've gone without hot food, showers, medicine, mental health care, and visits from lawyers, family, and friends.
Two men died at Auburn Correctional Facility "after not receiving medical care quickly enough," per the Times. Another man killed himself at Sing Sing Correctional with no one to intervene. As the strike entered its 17th day Thursday, Gov. Kathy Hochul said a deal had been reached between the state and union leaders to bring officers back to work by Saturday. The deal includes a three-month suspension of solitary confinement limits and limits on mandatory overtime for officers. "But because the strikes were supposedly never sanctioned by the union's leaders in the first place, it was unclear how many of the striking officers would comply," per the Times. Meanwhile, there are fears that more than 30,000 inmates across the state could start an uprising.
"When you take visitations from everybody—visits and property and clothing and packages," that "can mobilize a population," a prisoner at Sing Sing tells the Times. Corrections officers say they've been in a rough spot for awhile, with staffing shortages forcing them to work up to 80 hours per week. Some complain that policies have made the job less safe. The corrections department recorded 1,938 assaults on staff in 2024, per CNN. But that comes amid allegations of abuse by guards. Fifteen prison workers have been placed on leave following the beating death of 22-year-old Messiah Nantwi last weekend at Mid-State Correctional, per CBS News. (Another five are charged in the beating death of a handcuffed inmate at Marcy Correctional.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
