Violence Statistics in New York Prisons Rise, Senator Wants to Abolish Problematic Law

State Senator Dan Stec has proposed a complete repeal of the HALT Act in the New York legislature, which limits the ability to discipline state prison inmates through solitary confinement, an attempt to meet some of the demands of striking prison guards.

For a week now, prison guards have been on strike in dozens of New York City prisons, demanding pay raises and a response from the authorities to the growing violence in penitentiary facilities.

The guards are demanding, among other things, the withdrawal of regulations that restrict the ability to lock violent prisoners in solitary confinement. This issue is regulated by the “HALT Act,” passed by the state legislature in 2022.

Current and former prison guards agree that preventing them from punishing inmates has led to an increase in prison violence. According to state Sen. Dan Stec, since the new law was introduced, the number of attacks on prison staff has increased by 32 percent, while violence between inmates has increased by 81 percent. The politician emphasized that even inmates on so-called “honor blocks,” or well-behaved prisoners assigned to work, feel less safe since the passage of the “HALT Act.”

On Monday, the senator proposed an amendment in the Albany legislature that would repeal the problematic law in its entirety, which would meet some of the demands of striking guards. However, lawmakers did not decide to consider the proposal immediately, so the fate of the bill remains uncertain.

Ed. JŁ