broome county jail

An officer with the Broome County Correctional Facility is charged with official misconduct and harassment in the second degree, after hitting an inmate who was seated and handcuffed at the time of the incident.Officer James Woodard and another, unnamed officer are both suspended without pay.

The five-week course draws on material from a textbook by SUNY Broome Professor Gian Roma. The textbook focuses on personal growth and decision making. Nearly 60 people inside the jail have participated in the course, according to the sheriff’s office.

The program, called "Motivation to Change", is a partnership between the district attorney and the county sheriff’s office.Under the program, people with substance use disorders who are charged with nonviolent offenses are diverted from arraignment at the Broome County correctional facility to Helio Health’s inpatient and detox programs.

Visiting hours at the Broome County Correctional Facility will be expanded from 15 to 30 hours a week, according to an announcement from Sheriff Fred Akshar Monday. The change comes amid a prolonged fight over visitation rights at the jail.

The argument surrounds the county jail’s reduction in visitation hours, while a larger legal battle continues over visitation restrictions at the jail.

"People have been without personal contact from a loved one for over two years now."

Holland said she was put in solitary confinement, denied medical treatment, housed in the men's facility and harassed.

The activists say women and pregnant people at the jail are being denied access to medications, nutrition and medical care and subjected to voyeurism from the guards.

Current Sheriff David Harder announced he plans to retire at the end of this term.

“Most of the inmates are isolated from each other,” Harder added. “They’re not allowed out of their cells. They’re basically quarantined to keep the spread down.”