Assemblyman Brian Maher (R,C-Walden) is raising serious concerns about New York’s growing prison staffing crisis following the release of a new report from State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, which highlights a dramatic surge in overtime costs across state agencies—driven largely by conditions within the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS).

According to the report, state overtime spending reached $1.6 billion in 2025, a 22.7% increase from the previous year. DOCCS alone accounted for more than 87% of the total increase in overtime earnings, with costs rising by $264 million and overtime hours increasing by 1.3 million.

“This report contiunes to confirms what we have been hearing for years—New York’s prison system is on life support,” said Meghan Hurlburt, chief of staff to Assemblyman Maher. “As alarming as the numbers in Comptroller DiNapoli's report are, this is not just a fiscal issue.New York's prison system continues to operate in an unsafe state of emergency.”

The report also found that the corrections workforce has declined significantly in recent years, with nearly 8,500 fewer employees since 2020 and a loss of more than 2,700 positions in the last year alone. As staffing levels drop, the burden on remaining correction officers has grown substantially, with average overtime reaching 432 hours per employee—nearly triple what it was just a few years ago.

“Mandatory overtime, chronic understaffing and unsafe working conditions pushed correction officers over the brink leading to the work stoppage that led to the governor firing thousands of correction officers,” Hurlburt said. “We will not be able to rebuild our workforce or recruit the next generation of officers until there is a serious shift in policy that prioritizes safety for correction officers, civilian staff and the incarcerated population.”

Maher has consistently called for reforms that address both staffing shortages and facility safety, warning that the current approach is unsustainable and continues to drive experienced workers out of the system.

“Throwing more money at this problem is not a solution,” Hurlburt added. “It’s a temporary fix that comes at a high cost to taxpayers and an even higher cost to the people working in these facilities every day.”

Maher’s office is urging state leaders to take immediate action to improve working conditions, restore safe staffing levels and implement policies that will allow DOCCS to recruit and retain qualified personnel.

“Until Albany acknowledges that safety must come first, this cycle will continue,” Hurlburt said. “We owe it to those who work in our prisons—and those housed within them—to get this right.”