The union representing New York’s correction officers is sounding the alarm after a spike in drug-related exposures inside state prisons — including incidents that have left staff unconscious, hospitalized, and in need of Narcan.
On Friday, NYSCOPBA released a video calling on the state to take “immediate and decisive action” to identify the substances harming prison workers and to prevent future incidents. Many of the exposures, they say, have involved unknown drugs smuggled into facilities on saturated paper or in inmate mail.
Since January, dozens of officers and staff have fallen ill while dealing with inmates who were allegedly high on unidentified substances. Symptoms have included fainting, nausea, blurred vision, and high blood pressure. In multiple cases, Narcan had to be used to revive affected staff.
In the latest incidents this week, 13 staff and 6 inmates at Fishkill Correctional Facility were treated over two days. One nurse and three officers required Narcan after exposure.
“We are beyond frustrated,” said NYSCOPBA President Chris Summers. “Exposures have been occurring for over a year now with no clear explanation of what staff are being exposed to.”
The union is urging the state to:
- Improve screening and detection systems
- Launch a full-scale investigation into the chemical exposures
- Strengthen controls on inmate mail and packages
Summers applauded the implementation of legal mail scanning but said more needs to be done — especially in fixing flaws in the Secure Vendor Program, which still allows contraband to slip through.
“We cannot wait until somebody dies to find those answers,” Summers said. “The men and women who work in the prisons deserve to come to work knowing their workplace is protected from lethal substances.”
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