OGDENSBURG, N.Y. — Inmates at Riverview Correctional Facility took control of multiple dormitories for several hours after corrections officers withdrew from their posts, citing unsafe conditions, WWNY reports.
As many as 500 inmates were housed in 10 dormitories at Riverview when the situation unfolded, WWNY reports. Corrections officers on duty — estimated to be around 15 to 20 staff members — reported increasing tensions with inmates around midnight on Feb. 20. Concerned for their safety, prison staff retreated to a visitor area, where they could hear inmates breaking glass and damaging the dormitories. As the situation deteriorated, corrections officers moved further into the administrative section of the prison while calling for assistance from New York Corrections Emergency Response Teams (CERTs).
By 8 a.m. on Feb. 20, response teams from Gouverneur and Albany, along with local CERT teams, had regained full control of the facility.
The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) attributed the incident to corrections officers vacating their posts during the ongoing strikes across the state.
In a statement to WWNY, DOCCS said, “Today marks day four of the illegal strike staged by correction officers in 36 of DOCCS facilities. Last night, an incident occurred at Riverview Correctional Facility in which staff vacated their posts leaving the dorms unsupervised. In response, the Albany Correctional Emergency Response Team (CERT), along with the Riverview CERT Team — including several members who stepped off the picket line, DOCCS Office of Special Investigations and the N.Y. State Police — have intervened to restore order and ensure the safety of all individuals inside. Their efforts were instrumental in regaining control of the facility and preventing further escalation. The safety and security of our staff, incarcerated individuals, and the broader community remain our top priority.”
The 4 Cs of inmate management: Maintaining order involves more than just searching and counting inmates and performing inspections. It involves understanding your inmate population.
The agency credited the intervention of CERT teams, the DOCCS Office of Special Investigations and the New York State Police with restoring order and preventing further escalation.
The New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOPBA) defended the officers’ actions, stating that the officers assigned to the dorms felt their safety was at risk and withdrew as a result.
“After midnight, inmates took over several dorms at Riverview after they became unruly and the officers assigned to the dorm felt their safety was at risk and exited the dorms. Sometime late this morning the dorms were under control and restaffed,” NYSCOPBA said.
The National Guard was also called in to assist.
The standoff at Riverview Correctional Facility is the latest flashpoint in an ongoing dispute between corrections officers and the state over staffing shortages and working conditions. The strike started Feb. 17 at Collins Correctional Facility near Buffalo, following a lockdown last week after contraband was discovered and inmates took control of three dorms. Since then, the protest has expanded to 36 facilities statewide.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul mobilized the National Guard to respond to prisons throughout the state on Feb. 19.
Union officials have said that corrections officers are protesting for safer working conditions, heightened searches of prison visitors and a reversal of recent prison reforms that limit solitary confinement.
