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New York City Department of Corrections employee. (James Kaybom/New York Daily News)
Staffing levels at Rikers Island and other areas of New York City’s prisons could be reduced as part of the criminal workforce. Large Classes at the Correctional Academy In 2004, 2005 and 2006, the department reached a retirement age of 20 years.
A total of 2,075 police officers have graduated from the correctional academy over the past three years. In 2004, there were 621, in 2005, 615, and in 2006, 839. City Department of Corrections Said. Prison officers can receive their full pension and post-retirement benefits after 20 years.
Potential retirements pose a new challenge for an agency that has already seen hundreds of departures over the past three years, especially since new hires from 20 years ago are now among the agency’s most experienced employees. Because you are a member.
The total number of prison officers at all ranks fell from 8,872 in January 2021 to 6,109 in January 2024, a 31% decrease, according to official statistics.
The agency is also struggling to hire new officers. A recent class of just 40 people was scheduled to begin in February. Postponed the To buy time to hire new employees.
The class began training Thursday with 82 recruits instead of the original 40, the department said. This is his one of the smallest Academy classes in memory.
Department of Corrections spokesman Frank Dwyer said, “The department is working to further enhance its recruitment efforts, including additional advertising and campaigns, in anticipation of the potential retirement of uniformed officers in the coming years.” .
President Benny Bossio Prison Officers Benevolent Associationpointed out that the City Council withdrew Mayor Adams’ proposal to hire 578 new employees in 2022.
“Despite our warnings over the past several years and detailed testimony before city councils and state legislatures about the consequences of not ensuring safe staffing levels, our calls for assistance have been met by most policymakers. It was ignored,” Bossio said.
“Instead of making us the bad guys, the City Council should invest in us by slashing government agencies and expecting essential workers to do more with less.” The path to a safer prison system for everyone starts with ensuring safe staffing.”
Benny Bossio
Gina Moon/Associated Press Benny Bosio Jr., president of the Prison Officers Benevolent Association; (Gina Moon/Associated Press)
Patrick Feriaiuolo, president of the Correctional Captains Association, said retirements could deplete an already dwindling roster of captains. According to Feriaihuolo and city payroll records, there were 571 active captains in 2023, compared to about 800 in 2021. This was a decrease of approximately 28%.
“That’s certainly a concern. We already have a shortage when it comes to prison officers and lieutenants,” he said. “We desperately need a captain.”
But City Councilor Sandy Nurse, chair of the Criminal Justice Committee, said the city still has the highest ratio of detainees to police officers in the country. She also addressed repeated criticism that more police officers should work inside prisons rather than in posts outside prisons.
“The department should prioritize bringing existing police officers back to work or removing them from the ranks,” said Mr. Nurse (D-Brooklyn). “The department also needs to improve its staff management and staffing practices to ensure staff safety and ensure staff actually want to come to work.
“Regular reports show that officers are not deployed in coordination with DOC.” [Department of Correction] Protocols are being followed, creating a dangerous and unsafe working environment for staff,” the nurse said.
According to the ministry, 160 people retired in 2023, 368 in 2022, and 403 in 2021, for a total of 931 people over the three years. Unions say these departures were fueled in part by job dissatisfaction and relentless scrutiny of the system from advocates, various oversight agencies and federal watchdogs that track violence and use of force. That’s what it means.
Meanwhile, the agency added 228 new hires in 2022 and 278 in 2023, bringing the total to 506.
The employees have been working without a contract for two years since their contract expired in early 2022. It is not uncommon in city contract negotiations for new contracts to be delayed by two years.
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