ALBANY, N.Y. — New York Assembly Republicans announced legislation aimed at addressing staffing challenges and safety concerns inside New York’s prisons, tying the proposal to ongoing fallout from the corrections officer strike in 2025.
The bill, A.10430, incorporates 10 recommendations from the state’s Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement (HALT) Committee and seeks to revise portions of the HALT Act, according to a release from lawmakers.
The proposal comes more than a year after thousands of corrections officers walked off the job in violation of the state’s Taylor Law. About 2,000 officers were terminated following the strike, contributing to staffing shortages that prompted Gov. Kathy Hochul to deploy the National Guard to correctional facilities.
Lawmakers said roughly 2,600 Guard members remain assigned to prisons statewide, with the deployment costing more than $1 billion.
What the bill would change
The HALT Committee — formed in March 2025 through an agreement between the state and the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOPBA) — was tasked with evaluating how the HALT Act has functioned in practice.
Under A.10430, proposed changes include:
- Expanding and clarifying the types of behavior eligible for segregated confinement, including conduct aligned with violent felony offenses, serious facility disruptions and sexual misconduct involving staff or incarcerated individuals.
- Clarifying that individuals involved in riots, escapes or attempted escapes may be placed in segregated confinement.
- Allowing short-term disciplinary confinement for individuals who repeatedly engage in misconduct after other interventions fail.
- Permitting short-term protective custody in segregated settings when no safe alternative housing is available.
- Providing the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) with more flexibility in managing programming and individuals who pose ongoing safety risks.
The bill also outlines more specific criteria for when segregated confinement can be used, including violent or threatening behavior, sexual misconduct and assaults involving bodily fluids. It creates a pathway for short-term confinement for individuals who repeatedly engage in disruptive behavior after other interventions fail and allows additional confinement periods for repeat incidents, with required time in rehabilitation units between placements. The proposal also permits temporary restrictions on programming for individuals who pose an ongoing safety risk, subject to regular review.
The committee includes representatives from DOCCS, the Division of Criminal Justice Services, NYSCOPBA and multiple public employee unions.
Lawmakers: Proposal is a “step in the right direction”
Assemblyman Joe Angelino joined other Republican lawmakers in Albany on March 16 to support the measure, framing it as a necessary response to ongoing safety concerns inside facilities.
“Our correctional officers work an often thankless, dangerous job, and we need to have their backs,” Angelino said during a news conference. “While I still believe HALT should be repealed, this proposal represents a step in the right direction.”
Angelino also criticized current state leadership, arguing that existing policies have prioritized incarcerated individuals over staff safety.
The legislation now heads into the state’s legislative process, where lawmakers will debate whether changes to the HALT Act can address both safety concerns and staffing challenges inside New York’s correctional system.
What should lawmakers know about the impact of segregation policies on corrections officers and facility safety?
