BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — For months, the 7 News I-Team has been hearing about concerns from corrections officers inside prisons around Western New York. Officers are concerned for their safety. They are also concerned about staffing issues and how that's affecting how they do their jobs.
The 7 News I-Team wanted to see how many complaints were filed by COs with New York State and what those complaints are for.
In August, the 7 News I-Team requested a copy of all written complaints, from:
- Corrections officers
- Staffers
- Employees at state-run facilities
Including the following correctional faciltiies:
- Wende
- Collins
- Wyoming
- Attica
- Orleans
- Albion
Since August, every time the state is supposed to reply with these documents, we're told it needs more time to respond.
The latest response came Thursday morning, amid ongoing strikes outside prisons statewide.
The state says it has "potentially responsive" documents but they're under review. It's been the same story for months. The state is supposed to send documents, but pushes its response time another week or two.
In this latest response, the 7 News I-Team was told:
Department of Corrections and Community Supervision estimates it will complete your request and provide a response in writing by 3/7/2025.
This is at least the fifth time this request has been delayed.
As corrections officers across New York continue to strike over what they claim are unsafe working conditions we will be posting any updates that become available on our website here.
