A correction officers’ union is renewing its call for changes to New York’s HALT Act after fentanyl was discovered inside Mid-State Correctional Facility earlier this year.
The New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association said a correction officer conducting a routine pat frisk on March 26 recovered multiple pieces of sprayed paper concealed inside a chewing tobacco can carried by an incarcerated individual. Laboratory testing later confirmed the material contained fentanyl, according to the union.
The incident occurred at approximately 1:38 p.m. in a dormitory at the Marcy prison. Union officials said the contraband was photographed and secured in accordance with department procedures.
In a statement issued Monday, NYSCOPBA argued that the seizure highlights ongoing concerns about synthetic opioids entering state correctional facilities. The union contends that provisions of the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement Act, commonly known as the HALT Act, have reduced the ability of prison officials to impose discipline and deter the trafficking of drugs within facilities.
Bryan Hluska, the union’s Central Region vice president, said correction officers face daily risks while searching cells, property and incarcerated individuals for contraband. He called on state lawmakers to revise the law, arguing that current policies have made facilities less safe for staff.
The HALT Act, which took effect in 2022, limits the use of segregated confinement in New York prisons and jails and has remained a point of contention between correction officer unions and criminal justice reform advocates.
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