More than 2,000 New York State correction officers have been terminated in the wake of an unprecedented wildcat strike that paralyzed the state’s prison system for weeks. Governor Kathy Hochul announced that her administration is “ready to move on” as the state scrambles to hire new officers to fill the vacancies left by those who walked off the job.
The strike, which began on February 17, 2025, saw over 4,000 correction officers from 38 of New York’s 42 correctional facilities walk off their posts in protest of what they describe as increasingly dangerous working conditions.
The unsanctioned work stoppage, not backed by their union, has cost the state over $100 million so far and prompted the deployment of 7,000 National Guard troops to keep prisons operational.
“There are consequences when people break the law,” Governor Hochul said at a recent press conference. “That means you’re not working in our state workforce ever.”
Governor Hochul has signed an executive order barring any correction officer who participated in the strike from future employment with the state.
She is also recommending that those officers be removed from the Central Registry of Police and Peace Officers, effectively preventing them from working as police or peace officers in state and local jurisdictions.
Under Strain
Retired correction officer Dave Cornish, who spent years at Woodbourne Correctional Facility in Sullivan County, has been outspoken in his support for the strikers. Cornish described conditions in New York’s prisons as “hell on earth,” pointing to skyrocketing inmate-on-staff assaults—up 222 percent at Woodbourne over the past three years, and 147 percent statewide.
“Nobody asked for more money,” Cornish told Radio Catskill. “They just want people to understand. It’s become hell on earth within these facilities.”
Cornish and others argue that the 2021 HALT Solitary Confinement Act, which limited the use of long-term isolation in prisons, has made maintaining order nearly impossible. Under a mediated agreement between the state and the corrections officers’ union, solitary confinement was reinstated to a limited degree. But many officers say it doesn’t go far enough.
“We created a hell in our country,” Cornish said. “And when these people came out and said, ‘Hey, we understand that we’re in hell, but this is beyond what we can take,’ you have to pay attention to that.”
Invisible Threats: Chemical Exposure and “Wasping”
The risks inside New York’s prisons, officers say, aren’t limited to physical violence. Cornish described instances where staff at Woodbourne Correctional Facility were exposed to dangerous chemicals believed to be synthetic drugs made from insecticides—a practice known as “wasping.”
“Woodbourne had 27, 28 people go out from exposure to this chemical,” Cornish said. “People were Narcaned. And the state’s response? They told us it was exhaustion or in our heads.”
The drug, reportedly created by crystallizing wasp spray and smoked as a cheaper alternative to methamphetamine, has caused paranoia, aggression, and overdoses.
The symptoms don’t show up on standard drug tests, making diagnosis and treatment difficult. Some correction officers, Cornish claims, are still suffering neurological effects weeks after exposure.
National Guard troops deployed to prisons have also reported symptoms consistent with chemical exposure, according to Cornish and other sources.
Lawmakers Respond
The crisis has caught the attention of local lawmakers. Assemblymember Paula Kay, who represents New York’s 100th District, told Radio Catskill her office is working with the Department of Corrections to temporarily halt incoming mail to prisons in an effort to prevent the drugs from being smuggled inside.
However, as of this week, no further updates have been provided.
A System at a Breaking Point
Despite the state’s efforts to move forward, Cornish and others warn that the crisis is far from over.
“They’re going to consolidate more, and they’re going to have these crowded facilities that are barely staffed,” he warned. “That is a recipe for an Attica situation…It’s a shame nobody listened.”
For those still inside New York’s prisons—officers and inmates alike—the question is no longer just who’s listening, but who is left to act.
How can somebody care more about inmates than they do about the employees that’s working inside the facility. These officers walked out for unsafe, working conditions. This happened in a Private business, they will be shut down and OSHA would be called in to find out what the hell’s wrong but not New York State Our communist governor has to be voted out. That’s a shame we had to put up with her until 2026.