New York Governor orders closure of additional state prison, facing backlash and criticism from various groups.
Governor Kathy Hochul has recently announced the closure of the Bare Hill Correctional Facility, located approximately 350 miles north of New York City. The facility, which accommodates around 1,400 inmates, was chosen for closure due to its high vacancy rate, with about 600 beds unoccupied. The decision is scheduled to take effect on March 11, following directives from the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. This move has drawn criticism from various stakeholders, including correction officers’ union officials and advocates for prison reform.
While Hochul’s administration will consolidate operations at Collins Correctional Facility, located roughly 30 miles south of Buffalo, it has opted not to proceed with closing two other prisons as was previously outlined in the state budget. Advocacy groups had pushed for the closure of Marcy Correctional Facility, a site that has garnered significant scrutiny due to violent incidents and reported staff misconduct. The facility has been the subject of disturbing reports, including a recent incident in December 2022 where inmate Robert Brooks was killed by prison guards, as well as the tragic suicide of prison chaplain Imam Abdulla Hadian, which advocates claim was exacerbated by the facility’s troubling conditions.
The Correctional Association of New York has urged the governor to take decisive action by closing additional facilities, particularly citing Marcy as an institution plagued by poor conditions and serious staffing deficits. Meanwhile, critics such as Jose Saldana, director of the Release Aging People in Prison Campaign, deemed the decision to leave Marcy open as indicative of systemic failures within the prison system. He emphasized the need for reforms focused on reducing violence and improving pathways for inmate release, rather than simply shutting down facilities.
Union representatives such as Chris Summers, president of the New York State Correction Officer and Police Benevolent Association, have expressed concerns about the implications of prison closures for staff. Since 2009, New York State has closed 27 prisons, coinciding with a noted decline in the number of correction officers employed while inmate numbers have experienced a slight increase. Summers criticized the closure plans as a temporary solution that fails to address broader issues of safety and staffing shortages.
State officials report that as of this week, the total prison population in New York stands at 33,782, reflecting a significant decrease of 53% since 1999, when the population peaked at 72,772. The allocation of approximately 293 staff members from Bare Hill to other facilities is part of the broader strategy to manage resources more effectively in a changing penal landscape. Hochul’s recent decisions are indicative of a complex balancing act between addressing prison reform advocacy and responding to the operational needs of the state’s correctional system. Media News Source.
