Watch: Video Shows Prison Violence As New York Strike Continues

As New York State corrections officers continue with their illegal strike, a surveillance video shows violence in a prison yard. There are new developments in the ongoing strike.

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In 2023, which is the most recent data, there were 1,671 assaults on staff in prisons around New York State. There was a 13 percent increase in violence against staff members from 2022 to 2023. As far as assaults on incarcerated individuals, there were 2,112 in 2023, an increase of 42 percent from 2022 where there were 1,488 incarcerated individuals.

Prison guards say they are facing unsafe conditions due to violence. Regardless of the reasons why they are striking, corrections officers are breaking the law with this unauthorized strike. The strikes were not sanctioned by the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association. Strikes by public employees in New York are prohibited by Taylor's Law. On Wednesday, February 19, 2025, Erie County State Supreme Court Judge Dennis E. Ward issued a temporary restraining order which requires the officers to return to work immediately, according to the New York Times. The officers now have until Tuesday, February 25, to show the strikes are proper. Governor Kathy Hochul has activated the National Guard to step in to secure the prisons.

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The video footage shows a 2022 violent clash between an inmate and a corrections officer, which then turns into a mele. It happened in 2022 at the Great Meadow Correction Facility.

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The officers say this footage provides a look into what they have to deal with. There are also accusations of excessive violence and abuse of power against guards. The Department of Corrections and Community Supervision is charged with the "care, custody, and treatment of individuals sentenced to state prison." However, recently, an incarcerated individual, Robert Brooks, was violently beaten by corrections officers at the Marcy Correctional Facility in upstate New York. Brooks died on December 10, 2024. According to the New York Times,

"Three of the 13 guards implicated in the savage beating of Robert Brooks had been accused in lawsuits of earlier attacks in New York prisons."

Staff used 2,908 weapons in 2023, up 16 percent from 2022 when staff used 2,511 weapons. In 2024, prisoners filed 1,443 grievances against prison staff. The strike is causing chaos and leaving the current staff who are working stretched thin. Prisoners rights groups say the strike is putting inmates at risk.

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