Gouverneur Correctional Facility continues to grapple with escalating violence, drug smuggling, and inmate overdoses, further straining resources and endangering staff at the medium-security prison.
From September 30 to November 11, nine corrections officers were assaulted by inmates, with one officer requiring hospital treatment for multiple leg injuries. Six fights among inmates during this period resulted in two individuals suffering facial lacerations caused by makeshift weapons, three of which were later recovered during dorm searches.
Staff also intercepted marijuana smuggling attempts. In one case, a visitor carrying 51 grams of marijuana was apprehended after a K9 alert. The individual voluntarily surrendered the contraband before being charged with Promoting Prison Contraband in the Second Degree by state police.
Drug overdoses remain a pressing issue. Three inmates became unresponsive from apparent overdoses and required Narcan to be revived. Two of them needed four and five doses, respectively, before regaining consciousness. All were transported to a local hospital for further treatment.
Bryan Hluska, Central Region Vice President of NYSCOPBA, expressed frustration over the ongoing challenges. “Daily assaults, overdoses, cuttings, short staffing, mandatory overtime—you name it, they continue to push staff to the limit,” he said. Hluska criticized the lack of legislative action, particularly regarding the HALT Act, which restricts solitary confinement and has been linked to increased violence in prisons.
The record levels of inmate-on-inmate and inmate-on-staff assaults reported in October show no signs of abating, further highlighting the urgent need for systemic changes to improve safety in correctional facilities.
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