Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Officials received a scare back on Sunday, Aug. 4 when a total of 11 corrections officers (COs) and a nurse at the Collins Correctional Facility were transported to Erie County Medical Center after being exposed to an unknown substance when reviving an inmate attempting to commit suicide.
After the inmate was revived, each of the COs and the nurse were administered Narcan, with some officers receiving multiple doses after being exposed to, what is being suspected as, either synthetic marijuana or fentanyl.
Despite the incident sending several COs to the hospital and forcing a number of others to be called in on their day off from work, members of the New York State Corrections Officers PBA (NYSCOPBA) continue to be left out of the conversation with that the officers were, in fact, exposed to.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul says the investigation into what happened more than a week ago in Collins is still ongoing.
"I just want to, first of all, commend the extraordinary work that our corrections officers do. I spoke to one at the Erie County Fair last night, and just shook his hand and said, 'Thank you. You are in a very challenging environment, and we want to make sure that all of you are safe,'" said Gov. Hochul while in Buffalo on Monday. "We are continuing to wait for the results of the investigation that we launched by the State Police, and I can certainly get back to you as soon as that investigation concludes."
Several days after the incident, while outside the correctional facility in the Town of Collins, local officials raised the red flag on policies that are putting a strain on the safety and well-being of corrections officers in the state.
The most significant policy that officials say is leading to a substantial increase in inmate violence at facilities across the state is the HALT (Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement) Act , which:
- Restricts the use of segregated confinement and creates alternative therapeutic and rehabilitative confinement options;
- Limits the length of time a person may be in segregated confinement;
- Excludes certain persons from being placed in segregated confinement.
The goal of the bill was to make New York's prison and jail practices more humane.
Instead, officials claim it is allowing criminals inside these correctional facilities with minimal accountability for any violent actions against corrections officers or other inmates. According to some statistics, there has been a 35% increase in violent assaults against corrections officers since the law took effect.
Gov. Hochul says her office is willing to look at any statistics relating to an increase in violence at state correctional facilities, and find "any resolution that's necessary" to better ensure the safety of COs.
"[The HALT Act] was signed into law by my predecessor [Gov. Andrew Cuomo], so this was not something I had the opportunity to really understand at the time. That being said, it is the law now, and we're listening to our corrections officers and the representatives of them. They're coming to us frequently, and they're pointing to data, which is concerning to me," Gov. Hochul said. "We have to make sure that environment is safe for the prisoners, but also, very importantly, for those who are willing to step into those difficult jobs and protect society. It's something we're always willing to look at, it's fairly new."
Part of the problem Gov. Hochul feels these state facilities are facing is trouble recruiting corrections officers. She feels the more COs that are available on the job, the safer the environment is and will be.
"The prison population has declined tremendously, it's gone down 50% since 2008 from about 75,000 inmates to 33,000. You have fewer people being incarcerated, a lot has to do with the legalization of marijuana. A lot of those were low level drug offenses. But we also have fewer people wanting to be corrections officers," Gov. Hochul explained. "We're having a real shortage, we're trying to right size these facilities, make sure we have the right ratio of officers to inmates so they're protected. And we're trying to recruit."
Gov. Hochul adds she is looking at all kinds of ways to help with the recruitment process for corrections officers.
"We just gave a major pay increase, we've had a lot more flexibility in hours. We're doing what we can to increase the number of people, because the more you have, the safer the environment is for everyone involved. That's something we're wrestling with right now, but I'm looking at everything," she said. "We have a responsibility to everyone involved in our corrections system to make sure that they're safe."
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