Six months following the decapacitating wildcat strike by the thousands of New York state correction officers that mowed the prison system to the ground, the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision continues to be in a catastrophic state of shortage by thousands of officers and sergeants, a razing powder bomb waiting to blow to smithereens as overcrowded institutions attempt to somehow make ends meet as they desperately attempt to put back together their fallen comrades.
The aftermath of strikes puts the system in crisis
The state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision is still undersized by thousands of officers and sergeants six months after thousands of New York state correction officers staged a wildcat strike, according to Spectrum Local News. A 22-day strike was initially ignited by opposition to the HALT Act, poor working conditions, and shortages.
The wildcat strike of three weeks resulted in the prison agency firing up to 15 percent of its guards and other officers retiring or quitting their jobs early, bringing prison operations to a halt, according to Yahoo News. Thousands-strong force of National Guard deployed to help remaining staff; however, facilities have canceled or reduced programming and recreation.
Since that time, the state has introduced another initiative, Recover, Recruit, and Rebuild, to stabilize its workforce. There are the first indications of improvement at the Department of Community Corrections, says Daniel Martuscello, who is its Commissioner.
Recruitment activities are neither good nor bad
DOCCS reports that there has been a 160 percent increase in participation in exams by would-be correction officers over the past year. It has improved hiring 62 percent, and graduation out of the training academy has risen by 46 percent. Over 740 former employees who were fired have been reinstated since the strike was stopped through the use of the grievance process.
According to the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association, about 3,400 grievances have been received, and each of them is supposed to be reviewed one by one. This is disciplinary history, background studies of misconduct, and whether individuals were, in actuality, spearheading this unlawful job action, Martuscello said. According to the commissioner, the department has cut 24-hour shifts to 12 hours, which was a big issue among the officers.
The leaders of the unions use the reason of chronic morale issues
However, union officials claim that morale is still low and workforce deficiencies are still excessive. According to NYSCOPBA President Chris Summers, front-line workers who were considered the best recruitment instrument of the department have lost confidence.
With all that was going on with the drugs coming in, that has been ruined, that is obvious, said Summers. There are still problems with exposures around the state as well. DOCCS plans to retain its staff by providing bonuses to officers who have a service span of 25 to 29 years and those with 30 years or more. The union praises the recognition but remarks that the staffing crisis is the thing that will make morale rise.
The jail system is under an extra strain
It is more than five months since the end of the strike, and the prison system of New York is now attempting to keep its own impending crisis at the city’s level. Jails have been faced with the challenge of accommodating thousands who should be in prison, as a result, implementing appropriate housing, programs, and covering the costs of the influx.
Six months after the strike, the personnel crisis of the New York prison system still reverberates in local prisons; thousands of officers are still absent, and there is a threat of dangerously low morale. In spite of recruitment and grievance solutions, the root causes of risky working conditions and insufficient staffing remain present, which jeopardize the stability of the system.