Assemblyman Christopher S. Friend (R,C-Big Flats) is calling on the governor to take action and place a hold on the HALT Act as part of her 30-Day Executive Budget Amendments due today. The HALT Act has significantly increased violence within New York’s correctional facilities, putting officers and inmates at extreme risk.

The HALT Act, which restricts the use of solitary confinement, has resulted in a significant increase in violence against correctional officers with assaults at record highs. Combined with staffing shortages and rising tensions within the prison system, officers are now forced to work in conditions that threaten their lives daily.

“Our correctional officers are the backbone of our prison system, ensuring safety and order every day. Misguided policies like the HALT Act have stripped them of essential tools to manage violent situations, putting their lives and the inmates they oversee in danger. The governor has an opportunity to correct this mistake, and I strongly urge her to act before the situation worsens. The state has a responsibility to ensure that correction officers are protected and treated with the respect they have earned. The governor must act now to address this crisis before more lives are put in jeopardy,” said Friend.