Striking New York correction officers will be classified as absent without leave and face serious repercussions, including loss of pay and health benefits, according to the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. Despite a court order to return to work, many officers continue protesting unsafe conditions and staffing shortages.

Correction officers protesting outside the New York Correctional Facility are facing serious consequences for each day they remain off the job

Sunday marks seven days since correction officers began their unsanctioned strikes. These strikes, which are not union approved, come as workers say they feel unsafe inside the facilities.

The new prison cuts shocked state lawmakers, some of whom are fielding calls from frightened and furious corrections officers and families of prisoners.

Correction officers continued their strike early Friday morning in Coxsackie, outside the Coxsackie and Greene Correctional Facilities. The New York State Department of Corrections issued a "Path to Restoring the Workforce" memo on Thursday afternoon.

In a move to help solve the statewide walkout of correction officers, the state offered some measures Thursday. Gov. Kathy Hochul authorized the deployment of 3,500 members of the New York National Guard on Wednesday to cover prisons where officers were striking,

The 61-year-old man was found unresponsive in his cell at Auburn Correctional Facility, one of dozens of state prisons where corrections officers have walked off the job over working conditions.

Drive-by supporting Auburn corrections officers on strike