October 7, 2025 — PEF leaders played a pivotal role on the committee established in March 2025 after the DOCCS strikes to propose amendments to the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement (“HALT”) Act. The committee’s focus was on improving safety while preserving the core principles of HALT. Recommendations were created through collaboration with various stakeholders, including state agencies, other unions, and advocacy groups.
“New York cannot hope to achieve the goal of transforming its correctional system without significant reform,” said President Wayne Spence. “PEF supported legislation recently passed, which if enacted, will provide greater oversight and accountability in the state’s correctional facilities, including expanded use of fixed and body cameras and an expanded oversight role for the Commission on Correction. And, while this legislation is an important step in the transformation process, it fails to address the need for meaningful reform to enhance the safety and security of all incarcerated individuals and staff in the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS).”
PEF was proud to participate in the committee charged with reviewing HALT to discuss the promise, the problems and unintended consequences of this landmark law. President Spence was joined on the committee by Steve Drake, chair of the PEF/DOCCS Labor-Management Committee at the time, Lindsay Bonanza, a teacher at Marcy Correctional Facility, Anne Jordan, an offender rehabilitation coordinator at Groveland Correctional Facility, and Jeff Taylor, a registered nurse at Clinton Correctional Facility.
“The committee worked to forge fair and reasonable reforms to address the ongoing and well-documented safety and security problems faced by incarcerated individuals and staff in the state’s correctional facilities,” President Spence said. “The committee’s recommendations reflect common sense solutions to address persistent and dangerous situations being caused by just a relatively few bad actors.”
The recommendations include:
- Deter Specific Serious Offenses: Clarify that sexual harassment and lewd conduct constitute behaviors that are eligible for placement in segregated confinement; add a new offense for conduct that is consistent with aggravated harassment of an employee (unhygienic acts); address patterns of extortion in connection with a gang or criminal enterprise by clarifying that such behavior is eligible for segregated confinement; and reduce the subjectivity of standards that have limited the imposition of segregated confinement for participating in a riot, escape, or attempted escape.
- Protective Custody: Allow temporary placement in a Special Housing Unit (SHU) or Residential Rehabilitation Unit (RRU) for up to three days when there is an unreasonable risk to safety and there is no other suitable alternative housing.
- Recidivism Measures: DOCCS would gain flexibility to address repeat offenses in disciplinary housing and general population, including potential placement in SHU for up to 15 days for recidivist misconduct.
- Broader Offense Definitions: Recommends amending the HALT Act to allow segregated confinement for a wider range of serious offenses, reducing reliance on subjective standards.
- Balance Discipline with Incentives: Recommendations include modifying positive incentive programs to ensure broader access for the incarcerated population, promoting good behavior and engagement in programming.
“The goal of these reforms is to provide a more supportive and safer environment for incarcerated individuals who are working to improve their lives and to help attract and retain the staff needed to support their rehabilitation,” said President Spence. “PEF urges policymakers to act on these recommendations so that we can work towards our shared vision of supporting and empowering incarcerated individuals to rehabilitate their lives with the hope that one day they can return and be productive members of their communities.”
The committee’s recommendations were delivered to the State Legislature and Governor Hochul in September, with hopes that they will consider codifying them into law during the 2026 legislative session.