COLLINS — Following an incident that led to a lockdown on Wednesday, workers at the Collins Correctional Facility went on strike Monday morning in protest of unsafe working conditions.

Workers at the Elmira facility joined them in solidarity.

Lockdown of the Collins facility was initiated Wednesday following the recent incident. That lockdown ended Saturday after a frisk of the inmates was completed. The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) says 23 weapons were recovered during that search.

Corrections Officers on strike Monday carried a list of more than a dozen demands. First among them is the reversal of the HALT Act, which has limited the ability for officers to use disciplinary actions against incarcerated individuals. Second on the list of demands is the elimination of 30% staffing reductions.

State Sen. George Borrello issued a statement Wednesday that directly addressed the HALT Act and staffing reductions.

“Correctional officers are already stretched to the breaking point, routinely working double and even triple shifts just to maintain the bare minimum coverage. This unsustainable workload is taking a devastating toll on their health, families, and safety, making them more vulnerable to attack while fueling instability inside prisons. Instead of protecting officers, DOCCS and the (Gov. Kathy) Hochul administration are slashing staff while ignoring the real causes of escalating violence-like the disastrous HALT Act, which has stripped officers of the tools they need to maintain control.”

Borrello called the HALT act and staffing reductions “reckless mismanagement” from DOCCS and evidence of “pro-criminal policies” in Albany. Borrello stated, “They are abandoning the men and women who keep our prisons secure to serve a radical political agenda. I strongly condemn this staffing reduction and urge Governor Hochul and Commissioner Martuscello to immediately reverse this dangerous decision before more lives are put at risk. Should any lives be lost, whether they be staff or inmates, the blood will be on their hands.”

In the first month of this year, there have been several incidents at incarceration facilities across the region. One of those incidents took place at Lakeview Correctional Facility in Brocton on Jan. 23, as four officers were injured and exposed to an unknown substance after a combative inmate attacked them as they entered his cell when he covered the cell door window and refused to respond to orders. The officers were injured when they opened his cell door, and he charged at them. They grabbed him in a body hold and forced him to the floor where he remained combative.

On the floor, the inmate bit one officer’s finger, breaking the skin. Once officers were able to get handcuffs on the inmate, he became compliant and was escorted to a holding cell to be evaluated. Along with the injuries the four officers sustained in the attack, they also developed shortness of breath, tightness in their chests, elevated blood pressure and fatigue. They were transported to Westfield Hospital and treated and released and did not return to duty.

Chris Summers, NYSCOPBA President, said, “It is clear, with the number of incidents of unresponsive inmates in prisons across the state, dangerous drugs like synthetic marijuana (K2) and Fentanyl are still getting into the prisons at an alarming rate. Contraband seized in 2024 numbered 4,739, a fifty five percent increase from 2022, despite having a secure vendor program that was supposed to reduce drugs and weapons from getting into the facility. That makes it extremely dangerous for staff who must interact with inmates daily and immediately respond to medical emergencies with no knowledge of the type of drugs they are encountering.”

Regarding the recent incident that prompted a lockdown in Collins, DOCCS said Wednesday that an incarcerated individual at the Collins Correctional Facility was found attempting to discard contraband. DOCCS stated, “There was a use of force which resulted in the recovery of two cell phones. The other incarcerated individuals in his dorm became agitated and attempted to check on the incarcerated individual in possession of the phones, who was not injured. On site, staff and supervisors de-escalated the incident and the incarcerated returned to their cubes. Later that morning, as a result of various potential threats, staff exited three dorms without incident. There were no hostages taken in any of the three dorms.”

After ordering the facility locked down, Commissioner Daniel F. Martuscello III activated emergency protocols, including negotiating teams, who successfully restored staff to the units and achieved a “peaceful resolution.”

In a social media post Wednesday, following the incident at the Collins facility, the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association issued “thoughts and prayers to all staff involved in another example of the epidemic of violence in New York prisons.”

Other demands listed by protesters Monday morning include mandatory body scans for visitors; incoming mail to be photocopied and/or scanned; the right for facility superintendents to individually determine lockdowns and program closures without repercussions; no disciplinary actions taken against protesters; and several suggested pay-related demands. The protesters also suggested several staffing solutions, including a pilot program to incentivize new employees.