Assemblyman David DiPietro (R,C,I-East Aurora) warns of another disastrous policy decision by Gov. Cuomo who plans to attack overworked correction officers by closing 3 prisons. According to the governor, this plan would save $35 million to close his glaring budget gap while in actuality dealing a massive blow to the upstate economy. All told the closure would be stressing an already overburdened prison system by making it both more crowded and harder to manage.

“It’s simply disgusting that after chipping away at the ability for correction officers to do their jobs week after week, Gov. Cuomo is now going to make their jobs significantly harder and more dangerous,” DiPietro said. “This joins his already convict-friendly policies in recent years, ranging from free tablets for inmates to pardons for sex offenders.”

“Our correction officers have had their disciplinary tools stripped away, they work in a very dangerous and stressful field and now the plan is to cram even more inmates together? It’s not safe for the prisoners, it’s not safe for the officers and with low bed availability who knows if some of these convicts will be released early, making the streets more dangerous for the law-abiding citizen. I call on the Governor to stop cutting corners and attacking people who need our help, not make their jobs more difficult.”