With the HALT Act at the forefront of the ongoing strikes at prisons across New York State, including Auburn, Cayuga, and Five Points, Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck is highlighting how the act is affecting the Cayuga County Jail and calling on state leaders to repeal or revise it.
Sheriff Schenck said in a Facebook post that the act, which addresses solitary confinement, has “removed the capacity to confine individuals within our jails and correctional facilities for durations that would ensure the safety of staff and other inmates, as well as serve as a deterrent for intentional and dangerous behavior.” Prior to HALT’s enactment, inmates engaging in violent behavior would be placed in special housing as a consequence of their actions.
Sheriff Schenck went on to state that, since the act was enacted in 2022, use of force (UOF) incidents have increased at the jail. The sheriff claimed 2020 saw seven recorded UOFs and 2021 saw eight. Following HALT’s enactment, 2022 saw 32 documented incidents, increasing to 54 in 2023. While 2024 saw UOFs decrease to 24, Sheriff Schenck attributes this to an overall decline in the average daily average population at the jail.
“[W]hen assessing the UOF incidents in relation to our daily average population, the figures remain alarmingly high compared to the periods preceding the HALT implementation,” wrote Schenck.
UOFs include any incidents where jail staff must use force to stop an inmate from assaulting a staff member or another inmate.
Going on to state “Our criminal justice system cannot function effectively without established repercussions for individual actions,” Sheriff Schenck is calling on Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature to repeal or highly amend the HALT Act.
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