Stec Writes to Governor to Address Contraband Inside Correctional Facilities

Senator Dan Stec (R,C-Queensbury) has written to Governor Hochul to address the contraband crisis inside correctional facilities. This letter comes after the senator spent a day at Upstate Correctional Facility, where he met with the site’s superintendent and officers and staffers impacted by the recent synthetic drug exposure that caused the illness of nearly two dozen personnel.

 

In the letter, which is attached with this release, Stec highlights the main ways contraband is smuggled into facilities and proposes two solutions. The first is his legislation (Senate bill S.4422) that would make the use of body scanners mandatory, as under current law incarcerates and visitors can refuse to pass through a body scanner. The second is a regulatory change to the state’s approved vendor process.

 

“The recent incidents at Upstate showed significant gaps in how the state manages the safety of COs and civilian staff,” said Stec. “The entry of contraband into correctional facilities imperils the health and wellbeing of these men and women, as well as that of other incarcerated individuals.

 

“I wrote to the governor in order to share what I learned directly from the COs and civilian staff at Upstate and to propose meaningful solutions to address contraband in our prison system. Given the severity of the events at Upstate, action on this cannot wait,” he added.