The state’s budget fight over prison reforms has taken another turn with an overtime pay extension for corrections staff, highlighting the widening divide between Governor Kathy Hochul’s administration and the powerful corrections union.
Hochul and Department of Corrections and the Community Supervision Commissioner have extended the 2.5-times overtime pay rate through May 9, 2025. The move, announced as a “policy update,” acknowledges what state officials describe as the “ongoing challenges and significant work” by staff to secure facilities during a volatile period.
The announcement lands just days after a controversial and illegal prison guard strike disrupted operations across New York, sending shockwaves through already tense state budget negotiations. Hochul is pushing to lower the minimum age for correction officers and expand earned time credits for inmates—a plan some lawmakers and advocates argue threatens rehabilitation goals.
Assemblymember Anna Kelles has criticized the proposal, saying it gives the corrections department too much discretion and limits eligibility for early release programs. Her comments echo growing concern among legislative Democrats who believe the administration’s approach is too reliant on administrative decision-making and not enough on restorative justice.
Union leaders, meanwhile, have fiercely opposed the release of non-violent inmates under Hochul’s plan. They’ve warned it could endanger public safety. State officials maintain that no violent offenders are being released and have accused the union of inciting fear instead of engaging in meaningful dialogue.
The overtime pay extension appears aimed at stabilizing a workforce strained by staffing shortages, retirements, and the aftershocks of the strike. Officials say the higher rate reflects an urgent need to “recover, recruit, and rebuild” while maintaining control of state-run facilities.
But critics view the move as an expensive concession that undermines broader reform efforts. With billions at stake in the final budget, negotiations remain gridlocked—split between competing visions of safety, rehabilitation, and fiscal responsibility.
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