Correction officers at more than two dozen facilities in upstate New York this week began holding striking and protesting following recent assaults on staff and after a state memo acknowledged staff shortages would likely continue.

According to the state Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOPBA), officers are protesting working conditions, including staffing and safety.

Indeed, according to data from the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS), there were 2,070 assaults on staff statewide in the year 2024, which was far more than the previous four years. Most of those assaults occurred at maximum security prisons. There have already been 160 recorded in the 2025 calendar year.

Last week, an incident at Collins Correctional Facility in Erie County led to three minor injuries to staff members and the prison going on lockdown.

In addition, assaults among incarcerated individuals were also substantially higher in 2024 than in previous years, more than double the amount in 2020, with 249 already in 2025.

These assaults have resulted in injuries for the prison staff. The same data found since November, 630 assaults on staff resulted in minor injuries, 48 with moderate injuries and 11 with serious injuries.

When it comes to staffing, even the state has recognized its shortcomings. According to an internal memorandum issued on Feb. 10 from DOCCS Commissioner Daniel Martuscello, “We continue to have critical vacancies throughout the Department, particularly with the position of Correction Officer. While some of our recruitment strategies, such as regional hiring, have begun to see some positive results, we have reached a point where we need to conduct a complete review of each and every post on our plot plan, as well as any posts that are filled on a temporary basis and really redefine how we conduct business.”

In addition, Martuscello said in the memo obtained Tuesday by Spectrum News that “the broader community is discussing that 70% of our original staffing model is the new 100%.”

The state’s staffing is greatly reduced from what it was years ago, primarily because of the number of incarcerated individuals in the state has reduced significantly. According to DOCCS data, since 1999, New York's prison population has declined by approximately 54%, from a high of 72,649 incarcerated individuals to 33,594. As a result, since 2011, the state has eliminated more than 15,000 prison beds and closed a total of 26 correctional facilities due to excess bed capacity, resulting in an overall annual savings of approximately $492 million.

Where the number of incarcerated individuals is down 54%, the number of staff at New York prisons is down 37%. At the end of 2024, there were 14,095 employed correction officers, sergeants and lieutenants. Twenty years ago, there were 21,068.

The current strikes are not sanctioned by NYSCOPBA, as the state’s Taylor Law prohibits public employees from striking.