The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) is set to release some inmates early due to staffing shortages following statewide prison strikes.
In a memo from Commissioner Daniel Martuscello, prison leaders are instructed to identify inmates convicted of minor crimes who are within 110 days of their scheduled release for potential early discharge under parole supervision.
Inmates convicted of sex crimes or violent felonies are excluded from this program.
The decision follows the dismissal of over 2,000 corrections workers who participated in the strike over poor working conditions.