Once again, Gov. Hochul has decided to close prisons in an expedited process.
This time, she is proposing closing up to five prisons. A one-year closure notification is damaging enough to employees, their families and impacted local communities, but allowing a prison closure with just a 90-day notification is a tremendous insult to those dedicated corrections officers and staff who work a very dangerous job to keep us safe.
The Legislature has the ability to reject this ridiculous 90-day notification proposal, and we absolutely should reject it. We should be treating these hard-working and dedicated employees and their families with respect. For a family to uproot themselves and find a new home and a new school for their kids takes some time. The State should recognize that and show some support and compassion.
This, all while this administration continues its failure to address the staggering rise in violent inmate-on-staff and inmate-on-inmate........