Vinny Blasio, a retired New York state corrections lieutenant and past official with the New York state Corrections Officers and Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOPBA), told Capital Tonight that the strikes at prisons across the state are not illegal because they were sparked by immediate safety concerns.

The ”straw that broke the camel’s back," according to Blasio, is a Feb. 10 memo from DOCCS Commissioner Daniel F. Martuscello III which states, “70% of our original staffing model is the new 100%."

Morale among corrections officers has been tanking since the HALT Act, which limits the use of solitary confinement, went into effect in 2022.   

According to DOCCS, since the HALT Act came into being, both inmate-on-staff assaults and inmate-on-inmate assaults have increased. 

A 2024 report from the Office of the Inspector General Lucy Lang showed that implementation of the HALT Act was being hampered by DOCCS’s antiquated recordkeeping systems.

Additionally, corrections officers have been on the defensive since the death of Robert Brooks at Marcy Correction Facility in December, which was ruled a homicide.

Ten corrections officers have been arrested in the case.