WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – Around 2,600 New York National Guard members remain deployed in state prisons more than a year after wildcat correction officer strikes began. One state lawmaker says keeping the Guard in prisons costs the state about $50 million a month. <\/p>\n
Guard deployed during 2025 strikes<\/p>\n
When correction officers across the state went on strike in February 2025, the New York National Guard was deployed to state prisons to fill in.<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody signed up for the National Guard to staff a prison,\u201d said state Sen. Mark Walczyk, R-49th District.<\/p>\n
According to the National Guard\u2019s 2025 Annual Report, more than 8,000 military personnel were mobilized during the strike. At its peak, more than 7,300 troops were on duty.<\/p>\n
Walczyk said using the National Guard this way is unsustainable.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was never the mission of New York\u2019s National Guard to fill in and do a bunch of state jobs. The governor has used them that way,\u201d Walczyk said.<\/p>\n
Cost and continued deployment<\/p>\n
Gray\u2019s office says it is costing the state about $50 million a month to keep the Guard in prisons.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a very expensive model. This is not the way it\u2019s designed to run so … and it still doesn\u2019t answer the systemic problems that we have in the facilities,\u201d said Gray, R-116th Assembly District.<\/p>\n
Although the strikes were declared over in March 2025, 2,600 National Guard members have remained in prisons through a volunteer program. The union representing corrections officers says it\u2019s still needed.<\/p>\n
\u201cMore National Guard is really the only short-term solution. I agree we shouldn\u2019t be relying on it as a long-term solution. We need to really focus on our recruitment efforts,\u201d said Bryan Hluska, central region vice president for NYSCOPBA.<\/p>\n
Gray points to recruitment issues<\/p>\n
Gray argues correction officer recruitment is down due to a few things.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou really have to fix HALT. You really have to fix the contraband issue, and you really have to fix the quality of life issues. Those are 3 systemic problems to this thing,\u201d Gray said.<\/p>\n
Officials say a training program was set up to better prepare guardsmen remaining in prisons.<\/p>\n
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