New York’s public safety system is facing a crisis on two fronts: both its prisons and its police force are grappling with severe staffing shortages, fueling instability and raising alarms about the future of law enforcement and corrections in the state. As 2025 draws to a close, the consequences of these shortages are being felt by everyone from inmates and guards to police officers and the communities they serve.
Inside New York’s prison walls, the situation has grown especially dire. As reported by Slate, the state’s correctional system has been reeling since an illegal prison guard strike in February 2025. The strike was so disruptive that Governor Kathy Hochul called in the National Guard and fired 2,000 striking officers in an attempt to restore order. But even before the strike, chronic understaffing had forced prison administrators to cancel educational programs, religious services, and family events at facilities like the now-shuttered Sullivan Correctional Facility and the Eastern Correctional Facility in Napanoch, New York.
“People are desperate,” said Karen Murtagh, executive director of Prisoners’ Legal Services, in an interview with Slate. “Locked in their cell for days, weeks, months. Some guys have had their parole dates pushed back, can’t get their programs.” The organization received 8,750 letters from inmates seeking help in 2024, but nearly 8,000 requests arrived in just the first six months of 2025, highlighting the growing sense of desperation among those incarcerated.
The impact of staff shortages is felt daily. Many prisons now allow families only a single Saturday or Sunday visit, a far cry from the more frequent contact that once helped maintain morale and stability. The lack of programming and recreation has left prisoners idle—a dangerous state in any carceral setting. As one incarcerated writer described, “The time guys normally spend learning in GED or college classes, or socializing and building community in prisoner-run workshops, is now wasted inside their cells gossiping and scheming.” That idle time, he explained, breeds animosity and violence. In June 2025, a prisoner was attacked in the recreational yard, suffering three facial cuts. “Security staff were nowhere in the vicinity. I’m not saying their presence would’ve prevented it, or even postponed it,” the writer admitted. Still, he acknowledged that the visible threat of security often encourages inmates to self-police their behavior.
The situation has not improved since the strike. Instead, it has morphed into a subtler on-the-job protest. According to Slate, this less visible form of resistance makes it harder for investigators to identify and discipline disgruntled staff, as they blend in with colleagues who are simply grateful to have a job in a tough economy. The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision has struggled to recruit enough new staff, in part because, as one observer put it, “Prisons are the most wretched and miserable, roach-infested, mice-ridden places in this country. They’re packed with mental health patients, addicts, and people convicted of every crime, some of whom are innocent.”
Governor Hochul’s efforts to attract new recruits—including a high-profile call in March 2025 for federal employees fired by Donald Trump to consider corrections work—have yielded little response. The job simply isn’t attractive to most New Yorkers, especially given the harsh conditions and the dangers involved. The consequences are clear: in late summer 2025, a stabbing in a cellblock led to the victim’s transfer to another facility, another example of the violence that can erupt when supervision is thin and tensions run high.
New York’s prison staffing woes are part of a national problem. According to Onevoiceunited.org, some U.S. prisons now operate with a ratio of one officer to 70 or more prisoners, making meaningful rehabilitation all but impossible. Abolitionists argue that the real crisis is mass incarceration itself, but even they acknowledge that understaffing leads to neglect, excessive idle time, and increased violence. Gangs are empowered, and prisoners compete fiercely for coveted jobs that allow them out of their cells—even resorting to violence to secure these positions.
“I’m serving my 16th year for manslaughter. I’m a credible witness to the ongoing understaffing issue,” the incarcerated writer concluded. “Lawmakers haven’t used their legislative power, nor the governor her clemency powers, to decarcerate. This plus understaffing mean that the system is in a fragile state right now, more than they realize.”
Meanwhile, outside the prison walls, the New York Police Department is facing its own staffing emergency. As detailed by CBS New York, the NYPD has lost more than 15,000 officers in the last four and a half years. The current force stands at 34,455 officers, down from 40,285 in 2000. In 2025 alone, over 2,400 officers have left the department, an average loss of about 300 officers per month.
To stem the tide, the NYPD welcomed more than 1,000 recruits to its police academy this summer—the largest class in nearly a decade. In total, 2,911 recruits have been hired in 2025, with nearly 1,100 joining in August alone. These numbers are the result of aggressive recruitment efforts, including a three-part plan announced by Commissioner Jessica Tisch in February. One major change: the department lowered its education requirement from 60 college credits to just 24, a move that sparked a 579% increase in daily applications and helped swell the academy’s ranks.
Despite these efforts, retention remains a major challenge. Officers cite long hours, stagnant pay, burnout, and forced overtime as key reasons for leaving. “The longest I’ve ever done continuously was about 30 hours straight,” a former NYPD officer told CBS New York. “You’re a liability at that time. You’re not even a cop.” He described the physical and mental toll of working doubles and triples, relying on caffeine to stay alert and ultimately feeling unable to serve the public safely.
The staffing crunch is felt acutely at the precinct level. The 45th precinct, for example, currently has 136 officers—up 17 from last month, but still well below the 164 officers it had in 2020. Officers are frequently reassigned to cover transit or high-crime areas, further reducing daily staffing in many communities. “They’re taking officers away from communities that need them too,” Patrick Hendry, president of the NYC Police Benevolent Association, told CBS.
The NYPD insists it remains “laser focused” on recruitment and is determined to bring in the next generation of officers. Yet, as both the police and prison systems struggle to fill their ranks, the risks to public safety and the well-being of those who serve—and those they are tasked to protect—continue to grow.
With violence rising inside prisons and police stretched thin on New York’s streets, the state faces a daunting challenge: rebuilding trust, morale, and safety in its core institutions before the consequences become even more severe.
