02.04.2025 14:52
It has been reported that inmates charged with minor offenses will be released early due to "staff shortages" following the termination of employment contracts for over 2,000 employees in New York state prisons who went on strike "without union permission." The inmates to be released will not include those charged with sexual offenses, murder, or terrorism-related crimes.
The Director of the Correctional and Community Supervision Agency, Daniel Martuscello, sent a memo to prison administrators following the termination of over 2,000 prison staff across New York on March 10. Martuscello instructed the prison administrators to initiate work for the early release of inmates who are being prosecuted for minor offenses and have sentences remaining between 15 and 110 days.
Highlighting the "staff shortage in the prisons" in the state, Martuscello announced that some inmates would be released early to restore balance in the prison. He stated that those to be released early would not include inmates convicted of sexual offenses, violent crimes, and serious offenses such as murder, terrorism, and arson.
PRISON STAFF WHO WENT ON STRIKE WERE FIRED
On February 17, prison staff across New York had gone on strike to protest difficult working conditions such as staff shortages and mandatory overtime. New York Governor Kathy Hochul had deployed National Guards to the prisons due to the strike, which was conducted "without union permission" and disrupted operations in the prisons.
Efforts to reach an agreement to end the strike had been attempted twice, but these attempts had failed. On March 10, Martuscello announced that the strike, which lasted for 22 days, ended with an agreement reached with the union representing the striking staff, but over 2,000 staff members who did not return to work by the expected date were terminated.