New York state's corrections commissioner has initiated an early release order for some prisoners in the wake of ongoing staffing shortages.
The Albany Times Union first reported the developing situation after several dozen prison guards briefly refused to begin their shift in the mid-State Correctional Facility in Oneida County. The Times Union reported the guards were concerned about low staffing.
Daniel Martuscello III, commissioner of the State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, then issued a memo Monday to all prison superintendents in the state to begin compiling a list of prisoners for early release. The guidelines included whether the inmates were incarcerated for a minor crime and had a short period remaining in their sentence.
ABC News reported the action followed about 2,000 prison guards being fired after a protest involving working conditions. The problems began developing in the prison system in February.
ABC reported that Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered state agencies to refrain from rehiring any of the fired guards. A spokesperson for the governor said Hochul supports the early release action.