Troubled NYC jail system sees 25% dip in correction officers under Adams administration
Staffing in New York City jails has dropped by about 25% from two years ago — and the correction officers’ union warned Monday the embattled lockups will continue to struggle without a “robust workforce.”
The troubled jail system has 6,257 uniformed officers, down sharply from 2021, when the city Department of Correction employed 8,388 guards, according to figures from the NYC Independent Budget Office.
The decrease in staffers, first reported by Gothamist on Monday, comes amid threats of a federal takeover due to persistent, disturbing conditions at Rikers Island.
At least seven people have died in custody this year, with multiple staffers facing suspensions connected to the deaths. And 2022 was a particularly deadly year behind bars, with the DOC recording 19 inmate fatalities.
The Correction Officers Benevolent Association union head claimed the reduced staffing is one of the main reasons the jail system is still struggling.
“Without making serious investments in a robust workforce, the DOC will never turn this ship around,” Benny Boscio said.
“The DOC needs to improve our quality of life to prevent burnout, as we have many officers working 100-150 hours of overtime a month without meal breaks and still working triple tours.”
The current jail population comes in at just over 6,200, data shows, meaning the inmate-to-guard ratio in New York City is still three times higher than the national average of three detainees for every officer.
The decline in staffing started back in 2018 under Mayor Bill de Blasio, when the DOC had nearly 11,000 jail officers. The inmate population also began to fall by about 1,000 each year, dipping below 4,400 during the pandemic, according to city statistics.
“New York City correction uniformed officers outnumber detained individuals in custody, yet seven people already died in custody this year and violent incidents are on the rise– proof that the agency cannot keep incarcerated people or their staff safe,” said New York City Comptroller Brad Lander.
“An agency that cannot keep its house in order doesn’t need to staff up, it needs fundamental sea change.”
A DOC spokesperson noted the reduction in the number of guards calling out sick over the last year, saying the agency had “resolved what seemed like an intractable staffing absenteeism crisis that was inherited on January 1, 2022,” when Mayor Eric Adams was sworn in.
“The department is committed to continual improvement of the jail system in this city so that it is safe for all, and rehabilitative for persons in custody,” the statement said.
The Vera Institute of Justice, though, sided with Lander and slammed the mayor’s “astronomical” investment in the DOC in this year’s city budget.
“Rather than continue to overinvest in a brutal, bloated jail system, Mayor Adams should invest in
evidence-based services that deliver the safety New York City needs—targeted especially toward the
people at greatest risk of committing and experiencing violence,” the non-profit wrote in a recent report.
“Even without backfilling roles, however, natural attrition is neither fast nor targeted enough to create a
workforce equipped to staff the borough-based jails,” the report continued, referencing Rikers’ planned closing in 2027.
The DOC added 128 officers last month.
Additional reporting by Bernadette Hogan
