Measuring Distance Across the New York State Prison System
Published: April 23rd, 2024
In September 2023 the Correctional Association of New York (CANY) launched a dashboard of processed administrative data to make it easier for the public to access vital information about prisons. Using data derived from the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision’s (DOCCS) Under Custody records, the dashboard highlights several statistics, including the prison population’s distribution by county of commitment.[1]
To better understand where incarcerated people are held relative to where they were sentenced to prison, CANY conducted a focused analysis of Under Custody data from 2023. To measure distance, CANY (1) identified the geographic coordinates of each facility, as well as the central coordinates of each county and (2) used the formula to calculate the shortest distance between two points on a sphere. This calculation represents the lower bound of actual distance and does not account for other factors that affect travel times, such as transportation infrastructure and road conditions.[2]
This analysis indicates that, in 2023, incarcerated people were 140 miles away from their commitment counties on average. Additionally, these distances vary greatly across facilities and counties of commitment. For example, incarcerated people at Sing Sing were 51 miles away from their commitment counties on average, while those at Altona were 246 miles away on average. Incarcerated people who were convicted in Suffolk County are the farthest—some individuals are over 300 miles away.
1. Cumulative population distributions
There are 44 state correctional facilities in New York. DOCCS considers several factors when determining an incarcerated individual’s prison assignment, including the individual’s security classification, parental status,[3] and gender identity,[4] as well as their medical, mental health, and program needs. Below are snapshots of the prison population’s distribution by distance, in miles, from commitment county. All incarcerated people are within 363 miles from their commitment counties, and more than half of incarcerated people are within 140 miles of their commitment counties. However, distances vary depending on an individual’s county of commitment and, to a lesser extent, on factors such as age, gender, race, and ethnicity.
1.1. Over 50% of New York’s prison population is within 140 miles of their respective commitment counties.
1.2. People convicted in New York City tend to be farther from their commitment counties compared to people convicted in other parts of the state.
1.3. More women are within 80 miles of their commitment counties compared to men; however, the differences between men's and women's distributions tend to even out after 100 miles.
1.4. The population distribution by distance varies slightly by race and ethnicity.
1.5. People under 30 are slightly farther from their commitment counties compared to those ages 30 and older.
2. Outliers
As of December 1, 2023, 379 individuals, constituting one percent of the prison population, were in prisons located more than 300 miles away from their commitment counties. Just under half of these individuals (48%, 183 out of 379) were convicted in Suffolk County and 41% (156 out of 379) of these individuals were at Lakeview Shock Incarceration Correctional Facility (“Lakeview”). Lakeview, which is in Chautauqua County, is the westernmost prison facility in New York State and serves as a site for several DOCCS-run substance use treatment programs, such as the Shock Incarceration Program.
2.1. Most of the incarcerated people who are farthest from their commitment counties were either convicted in Suffolk County and/or assigned to a program at Lakeview Shock Incarceration Correctional Facility.
As of the same day, 1,507 individuals, constituting five percent of the prison population, were in prisons located within 20 miles of their commitment counties. These individuals were convicted across 39 counties and incarcerated across 40 prisons. Given the right-skewed distribution of the prison population by distance, where fewer individuals are represented as the distance in miles increases, it is unsurprising to find a variety of counties and prisons represented among the people incarcerated within 20 miles of their commitment counties. Additionally, there have been recent efforts to ensure that people are in facilities close to their communities. For example, the Proximity to Minor Children Law, which requires DOCCS to place people as close to their minor children as possible whenever practicable, took effect in December 2021.
2.2. More counties and prisons are represented among the individuals located within 20 miles of their commitment counties compared to those who are more than 300 miles from their commitment counties.
3. Mapping Distance
Incarcerated people convicted in the westernmost, southernmost, and easternmost counties of New York state were farthest from their commitment counties on average. The map below shows the average distance between incarcerated people’s prison assignments and the county where they were convicted, grouped by commitment county. On average, people convicted in Suffolk County were farthest from their commitment county, followed by people convicted in Richmond County and in Chautauqua County.
3.1. Incarcerated people convicted in the westernmost, southernmost, and easternmost counties of New York state were farthest from their commitment counties on average.
3.2. Similarly, people incarcerated near the north-easternmost and westernmost points of the state were farthest from their commitment counties on average.
3.3. People at Altona, Bare Hill, Clinton, Lakeview, and Upstate were furthest from their commitment counties.
Most of these facilities are in the northeastern part of the state: Altona and Clinton are in Clinton County and Upstate and Bare Hill are in neighboring Franklin County. Lakeview is in the westernmost part of the state in Chautauqua County. These facilities have different security levels and, consequently, distinct policies regarding when individuals can receive visits.[5]
Endnotes
[1] The county where an incarcerated person “was convicted and committed to serve time in a state correctional facility.” County of commitment is used by CANY as a proxy for county of last residence.
[2] For instance, the driving distance between New York County and Lakeview facility is 398 miles on Google Maps, whereas the shortest distance is 304 miles.
[3] Per § 72-C of New York Correction Law, which took effect on December 23, 2021, DOCCS must place incarcerated people as close to their minor children as possible whenever practicable.
[4] Per DOCCS Directive #4021 “Incarcerated Individual Reception/Classification,” incarcerated people who identify as transgender, intersex, or gender non-conforming during the PREA risk screening are asked additional questions by their Offender Rehabilitation Coordinator (ORC), including a “statement regarding their safety in connection with decisions regarding their housing and placement.”
[5] Visitation policies are based on a facility’s security level. At maximum facilities, like Clinton and Upstate, “visiting is allowed every day of the year and at hours intended to encourage maximum visitation.” At medium facilities, like Altona and Bare Hill, “visiting is allowed on weekends and holidays only,” At Lakeview, a minimum facility, and the site of a special program, visiting is available from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm on weekend days. The exact visit schedule is determined by an individual’s housing location and program type/status. See DOCCS Directive #4403 “Incarcerated Individual Visitor Program” (eff. 11.16.2023).