After homicides behind bars and strikes by guards, Gov. Kathy Hochul made changes to New York’s budget. That did not satisfy prisoners’ advocates.
In response to crises inside New York State’s prisons, Gov. Kathy Hochul said this winter that swift action in Albany would hold corrections officers accountable and keep inmates safer.
In the legislative session that ended Wednesday, the governor directed $400 million to increase camera coverage in prisons. She replaced the head of the prison where an inmate had been savagely beaten to death and ordered reviews of “safety gaps” in several lockups and assessments of their operating cultures.
But she has not committed to signing a package of bills meant to increase prison oversight that originated with reform-minded lawmakers. Criminal justice advocates and some legislators were also left disappointed that she has not championed measures that would increase the chances for inmates to gain early release and make it easier to discipline officers.
They accuse Ms. Hochul of prioritizing expedient and incremental policies to court moderate voters as she gears up for re-election next year.
“As public servants, we have to lead with a great deal of courage and moral clarity,” Emily Gallagher, a Democratic assemblywoman who represents parts of North Brooklyn, said of the governor.
“There is a tension between good policy that protects all residents of New York State,” added Ms. Gallagher, who has been endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America and supported the prison bills. “And the fear of this right-wing political moment that we’re in.”
