BROOKLYN, NY – The Correctional Association of New York (CANY) today released CANY’s Recommendations to Improve Safety, Institutional Culture, and Living & Working Conditions within DOCCS Facilities. These recommendations, based on extensive on-the-ground monitoring, interviews with incarcerated individuals and staff, and data analysis, provides a critical assessment of the challenges facing New York's prisons and offers concrete solutions to address persistent challenges and opportunities for improvement within New York State prisons.

BROOKLYN, NY – The following statement can be attributed to Jennifer Scaife, Executive Director of the Correctional Association of New York (CANY): 

“Robert Brooks died on December 10 following a vicious assault by state correctional officers at Marcy Correctional Facility, near Utica, New York. According to people who have watched video footage of the incident, the depravity of the assault is ‘incomprehensible.’ New York Attorney General Letitia James plans to release the video after Mr. Brooks’ family members have viewed it. Then the public will witness the brutality that the Correctional Association of New York (CANY) has documented in prisons for nearly two centuries, and at Marcy as recently as two years ago. 

In July 2023, CANY released a report containing findings and recommendations following our monitoring visit to Marcy in October 2022. During interviews, 80% of incarcerated people reported having witnessed or experienced abuse by staff and nearly 70% reported racial discrimination or bias. According to one person we interviewed, “Physical abuse is rampant; the CO told me when I got here, ‘This is a hands-on facility, we’re going to put hands on you if we don’t like what you’re doing.’” Another said staff “brag and intimidate us about the number of people they’ve beat or sprayed.” On the second day of our monitoring visit, incarcerated people reported that security staff had announced the prior evening that anyone speaking with CANY representatives would experience retaliation.   

In our report, CANY called upon DOCCS’ Office of Special Investigations and the New York State Inspector General to investigate these serious and pervasive allegations at Marcy Correctional Facility. We made similar recommendations following a monitoring visit to Bare Hill Correctional Facility in March 2022. Incarcerated people made numerous related allegations during our monitoring visits to Washington and Gouverneur Correctional Facilities in 2024. Several times per week, we notify DOCCS and other state agencies about allegations of abuse, maltreatment, neglect, or violations carried out by staff in New York's prisons.   

At the end of the 2024 Legislative session, at least 11 bills related to transparency, accountability, or monitoring of prisons were pending – each of which would to some degree strengthen the patchwork of oversight provided by various entities, including the Attorney General, which investigates and prosecutes correctional officers who were involved the death of an incarcerated person; the State Commission on Correction, which conducts mortality reviews of deaths in state prisons; the Office of the New York State Inspector General, which has established a task force to investigate complaints against DOCCS; the Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs, which monitors the quality of care provided to incarcerated individuals with serious mental illness; the Department of Health, which oversees the management of infectious diseases within prisons; and the Correctional Association of New York, which is the only organization in the state that has continuously provided independent oversight of prisons since 1844. 

Taking steps to terminate the staff involved in the killing of Robert Brooks at Marcy is a good start, but Governor Kathy Hochul and the Legislature must go much further: they need to take bold and courageous actions to fulfill past commitments and bring about a new era of transparency and accountability in state government. Empowering oversight entities to serve as partners in this endeavor is an important start.” 

BROOKLYN, NY – The following statement can be attributed to Jennifer Scaife, Executive Director of the Correctional Association of New York (CANY): 

“Robert Brooks died on December 10 following a vicious assault by state correctional officers at Marcy Correctional Facility, near Utica, New York. According to people who have watched video footage of the incident, the depravity of the assault is ‘incomprehensible.’ New York Attorney General Letitia James plans to release the video after Mr. Brooks’ family members have viewed it. Then the public will witness the brutality that the Correctional Association of New York (CANY) has documented in prisons for nearly two centuries, and at Marcy as recently as two years ago. 

In July 2023, CANY released a report containing findings and recommendations following our monitoring visit to Marcy in October 2022. During interviews, 80% of incarcerated people reported having witnessed or experienced abuse by staff and nearly 70% reported racial discrimination or bias. According to one person we interviewed, “Physical abuse is rampant; the CO told me when I got here, ‘This is a hands-on facility, we’re going to put hands on you if we don’t like what you’re doing.’” Another said staff “brag and intimidate us about the number of people they’ve beat or sprayed.” On the second day of our monitoring visit, incarcerated people reported that security staff had announced the prior evening that anyone speaking with CANY representatives would experience retaliation.   

In our report, CANY called upon DOCCS’ Office of Special Investigations and the New York State Inspector General to investigate these serious and pervasive allegations at Marcy Correctional Facility. We made similar recommendations following a monitoring visit to Bare Hill Correctional Facility in March 2022. Incarcerated people made numerous related allegations during our monitoring visits to Washington and Gouverneur Correctional Facilities in 2024. Several times per week, we notify DOCCS and other state agencies about allegations of abuse, maltreatment, neglect, or violations carried out by staff in New York's prisons.   

At the end of the 2024 Legislative session, at least 11 bills related to transparency, accountability, or monitoring of prisons were pending – each of which would to some degree strengthen the patchwork of oversight provided by various entities, including the Attorney General, which investigates and prosecutes correctional officers who were involved the death of an incarcerated person; the State Commission on Correction, which conducts mortality reviews of deaths in state prisons; the Office of the New York State Inspector General, which has established a task force to investigate complaints against DOCCS; the Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs, which monitors the quality of care provided to incarcerated individuals with serious mental illness; the Department of Health, which oversees the management of infectious diseases within prisons; and the Correctional Association of New York, which is the only organization in the state that has continuously provided independent oversight of prisons since 1844. 

Taking steps to terminate the staff involved in the killing of Robert Brooks at Marcy is a good start, but Governor Kathy Hochul and the Legislature must go much further: they need to take bold and courageous actions to fulfill past commitments and bring about a new era of transparency and accountability in state government. Empowering oversight entities to serve as partners in this endeavor is an important start.” 

BROOKLYN, NY – The following statement can be attributed to Jennifer Scaife, Executive Director of the Correctional Association of New York (CANY): 

“Robert Brooks died on December 10 following a vicious assault by state correctional officers at Marcy Correctional Facility, near Utica, New York. According to people who have watched video footage of the incident, the depravity of the assault is ‘incomprehensible.’ New York Attorney General Letitia James plans to release the video after Mr. Brooks’ family members have viewed it. Then the public will witness the brutality that the Correctional Association of New York (CANY) has documented in prisons for nearly two centuries, and at Marcy as recently as two years ago. 

In July 2023, CANY released a report containing findings and recommendations following our monitoring visit to Marcy in October 2022. During interviews, 80% of incarcerated people reported having witnessed or experienced abuse by staff and nearly 70% reported racial discrimination or bias. According to one person we interviewed, “Physical abuse is rampant; the CO told me when I got here, ‘This is a hands-on facility, we’re going to put hands on you if we don’t like what you’re doing.’” Another said staff “brag and intimidate us about the number of people they’ve beat or sprayed.” On the second day of our monitoring visit, incarcerated people reported that security staff had announced the prior evening that anyone speaking with CANY representatives would experience retaliation.   

In our report, CANY called upon DOCCS’ Office of Special Investigations and the New York State Inspector General to investigate these serious and pervasive allegations at Marcy Correctional Facility. We made similar recommendations following a monitoring visit to Bare Hill Correctional Facility in March 2022. Incarcerated people made numerous related allegations during our monitoring visits to Washington and Gouverneur Correctional Facilities in 2024. Several times per week, we notify DOCCS and other state agencies about allegations of abuse, maltreatment, neglect, or violations carried out by staff in New York's prisons.   

At the end of the 2024 Legislative session, at least 11 bills related to transparency, accountability, or monitoring of prisons were pending – each of which would to some degree strengthen the patchwork of oversight provided by various entities, including the Attorney General, which investigates and prosecutes correctional officers who were involved the death of an incarcerated person; the State Commission on Correction, which conducts mortality reviews of deaths in state prisons; the Office of the New York State Inspector General, which has established a task force to investigate complaints against DOCCS; the Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs, which monitors the quality of care provided to incarcerated individuals with serious mental illness; the Department of Health, which oversees the management of infectious diseases within prisons; and the Correctional Association of New York, which is the only organization in the state that has continuously provided independent oversight of prisons since 1844. 

Taking steps to terminate the staff involved in the killing of Robert Brooks at Marcy is a good start, but Governor Kathy Hochul and the Legislature must go much further: they need to take bold and courageous actions to fulfill past commitments and bring about a new era of transparency and accountability in state government. Empowering oversight entities to serve as partners in this endeavor is an important start.” 

BROOKLYN, NY – Today, the Correctional Association of New York (CANY) released a new report on the implementation of a program for the use of Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD), also known as the Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) for incarcerated people in New York prisons.

New York, NY – As many New Yorkers prepare to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, the New York Health Foundation (NYHealth) hosted a virtual panel discussion to review food and nutrition within New York State’s prisons, along with the public health and policy context. The discussion explored the findings of a new CANY report and investigated challenges incarcerated individuals face in accessing nutritious and culturally appropriate food. Experts discussed solutions to improve food quality and promote healthier outcomes for this vulnerable population

New York, NY – The Correctional Association of New York (CANY) today released its annual report, OneEighty: Interpreting 180 Years of Prison Oversight, marking almost two centuries of independent oversight of New York’s prisons. The report reflects on the organization's long history and its ongoing mission to promote transparency, accountability, and human dignity within the state's correctional system. 

BROOKLYN, NY –

BROOKLYN, NY –

Brooklyn, NY - The Correctional Association of New York (CANY) today released a Post-Visit Briefing on Taconic Correctional Facility, one of only four women's prisons in New York State. The report, based on a monitoring visit conducted in December 2023, details inadequate access to medical and dental care, concerns about staff conduct, poor environmental conditions, and a lack of reentry programs. However, the report also notes that incarcerated individuals positively reviewed the volunteer-led and higher education programs offered at the facility. 

New York, NY – The Correctional Association of New York (CANY) commends Governor Kathy Hochul for announcing the closure of Great Meadow and Sullivan Correctional Facilities.

New York, NY – A new analysis issued by the Correctional Association of New York (CANY) sheds light on the Incarcerated Grievance Program (IGP) in New York’s prisons.

ALBANY – This week, Albany lawmakers took action to advance three bills championed by the Correctional Association of New York (CANY), the independent organization tasked with overseeing the state’s prison system. These bills aim to enhance transparency, accountability, and oversight within correctional facilities to improve conditions for both incarcerated individuals and staff.