ROME â Members of the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association called on Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday to put future state prison closures on hold. NYSCOPBA held a news conference urging the governor and the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision not to close any more prisons until a study can be commissioned to address violence inside prisons amid a steady decline in the inmate population. NYSCOPBA Western Region Vice President Mark DeBurgomaster discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the union and its members. He noted their members did not work from home during the pandemic, but worked in confined spaces, putting their health at risk. He said some of their members died because of COVID. He said members worked through the closure of three facilities.