Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday proposed a new slate of prison reforms for the budget to reignite criminal justice talks while the head of the state Department of Correction and Community Supervision said he supports the governor's plan to close more facilities. 

Multiple lawmakers briefly conferenced proposals from Hochul on Tuesday to expand opportunities for people in prison to reduce long sentences with credits for good behavior or job training — a priority Hochul included in this year's legislative agenda.

The governor also wants to lower the minimum age for correction officers to 18, down from age 21 in an effort to jumpstart sluggish negotiations on discovery and a possible face mask ban.

Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislative Caucus chair Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages said Hochul's proposals are practical and compassionate for both incarcerated people and prison staff.

"I support the Earned Time Act because it itcentivizes rehabilitation, personal responsibility and successful re-entry," the assemblywoman said in a statement to Spectrum News 1. "I also support lowering the eligibility age to become a correction officer to 18 — especially when paired with intentional recruitment in marginalized communities and communities of color that have been disproportionately impacted by over-policing, incarceration and limited access to economic opportunity. With proper training, support and oversight, they can bring lived experience and fresh perspective to the workforce while helping to address staffing shortages."

Multiple lawmakers said they have not seen official budget language from the governor's office.

Senate Crime Victim, Crime & Correction Committee chair Julia Salazar, Assembly Correction chair Erik Dilan and several other members declined to comment on specific proposals Tuesday as negotiations continue.

The governor's budget offer comes as state Department of Correction and Community Supervision Commissioner Daniel Martuscello said Tuesday he back's Hochul's plan to include language in the budget to close up to five more prisons in the next year.

 “The department remains committed to recruiting and retaining the next generation of correction professionals, but maintaining flexibility to support our staff’s work-life balance is essential," Martuscello said in a statement to Spectrum News 1. "That is why I support Gov. Hochul’s plan to provide further flexibility to our department by allowing for the closure and consolidation of up to five facilities to help create safer and more secure facilities, and improve our staff’s working conditions.”

Martuscello released a memo this week annoucing people in prison with four months or fewer left on their sentence could be released early if they have a place to stay.

"That's less than four months early — I think that's a wonderful thing and I really applaud that decision," Sen. Salazar said.

The DOCCS leader cited an ongoing staffing crisis at state prisons after Gov. Hochul fired about 2,000 correction officers who participated in a 22-day wildcat strike last month. The governor banned the fired officers from future work at a state agency while the National Guard continue to bolster security at state facilities, costing over $100 million per month.

The order is restricted to a small group, and people convicted of sex crimes, violent or serious felonies like murder, terrorism and arson will not be eligible for early release.

But it's stoking the flames of an already tense criminal justice debate.

"This is a whole ecosystem, a whole infrastructure issue we have in New York and it's not getting better," Republican Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt told reporters Tuesday.

Republicans and moderate Democrats want Hochul to allow the fired COs to go back to work, and make changes to the disciplinary system and the HALT Act to make facilities safer.

North Country Assemblyman Billy Jones, who worked as a CO for nearly twenty years, railed against DOCCS' decision to release prisoners early.

"A better solution to this problem would be to hire correction officers who were wrongfully terminated — those who had legitimate excuses to miss work such as family or sick leave, or workman’s compensation," Jones said. "They want to return to work, and New York State needs to allow this to happen. We owe it to the workforce and the correction officers who work in these facilities and to the families of the officers impacted. Releasing convicted felons early is not the solution our taxpayers and law-abiding citizens deserve.”

The assemblyman said the governor and Legislature have not made real progress to resolve ongoing staffing and safety issues in state prisons.

“I have been working the last couple of weeks to find a solution to get correction officers back to work but we must work together to find a path forward for corrections in our state," he said.

Progressive Democrats and members of the caucus have pushed for sentencing reform after multiple officers have been suspended or charged in the fatal beating of Messiah Nantwi at Midstate Correctional on March 1 during the strike and Robert Brooks at Marcy Correctional in December.

"Yes, people are dying due to atrocities with respect to their relationships with the correction officers, but people are also dying from natural causes [when] the sentencing has been truly unfair," said Assemblywoman Latrice Walker, a Democrat from Brooklyn. "We spend more money with the medical expenses of having to house someone who is no threat to society each and every day."

Multiple lawmakers said they expect to pass additional sentencing reform later this spring after the budget is completed.

"I think leadership has heard us — we want changes ," Solages said. "And we hear that from the executive, we hear that from our legislative leaders. We hear that from the public. This is an embarrassment in New York state that people are dying in our correctional facilities and we need to solve the problem."

The caucus still plans to release and pass a legislative package in memory of Robert Brooks. 

"We're going to present it as a Robert Brooks package and make sure that we bring justice not only to Robert Brooks, but all of the individuals who are sensitively murdered in correctional facilities at the hands of the state," Solages added.

But the final decision will come down to three-way talks between Hochul and legislative leaders.

A spokesperson with the Department of Correction and Community Supervision said Commissioner Martuscello has directed a list of the incarcerated people scheduled to be released within the next few months and to review who will be eligible for the early release program.

"Participating individuals must also have an approved residence, which is not a shelter or DSS placement," according to the department.

It's unclear how many New Yorkers will be eligible for early release, but lawmakers familiar with the plan said it could be fewer than 100 incarcerated New Yorkers of a total of 32,469 people to date.