New York Governor Kathy Hochul has deployed over 3,000 National Guard soldiers to guard duty in the state's prisons amid a correctional officers' strike. The soldiers are facing dangerous conditions without proper training, and there is no firm end date for their deployment. Concerns have been raised about their eligibility for federal VA benefits if injured. The strike was initiated by correctional officers protesting unsafe working conditions and the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement (HALT) Act, which restricts solitary confinement. Hochul has threatened legal action and terminations for the strikers who refuse to return to work.