New CANY Report: Prison Oversight Group Releases 5-Point Plan to Improve Conditions in NYS Correctional System
DOCCS Has Already Made Progress on Two Recommendations; CANY Will Monitor Adoption of Remaining Items
NEW YORK – Today, the Correctional Association of New York (CANY) released a series of practical recommendations submitted to the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) to optimize administrative procedures and improve conditions for incarcerated individuals in New York State prisons. CANY’s five-point plan includes proposals to expand educational opportunities, expedite programs and services, advance safety initiatives, and ensure transparency in incident reporting, including for deaths occurring in custody.
CANY first presented the recommendations to DOCCS in the late summer for review, and the agency has already begun implementing one of the proposals: to allow for incarcerated individuals in the general population to access and make phone calls through tablets while in living areas. Additionally, the department has reported progress on implementing Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) by enrolling more than 3,500 individuals into the program, representing more than 10% of the incarcerated population.
The recommendation to provide phone calls through tablets while in living areas was made as a result of findings released from CANY’s Post-Visit Briefings, which note that both correctional staff and incarcerated individuals across the state supported expanded access to tablet technology for phone calls in general population units, equal to the level of access provided in disciplinary units. CANY had found in several prisons that dormitories accommodating 40 to 50 individuals often had as few as three phones per housing unit, causing unnecessary frustration among incarcerated people and tension between incarcerated people and staff.
CANY will continue to monitor and report on the progress of the remaining proposals. The full list of recommendations can be accessed here.
“These recommendations offer a roadmap for the State to effect meaningful change, benefiting incarcerated individuals, corrections personnel, and the broader community we all share,” said Jennifer Scaife, CANY Executive Director. “DOCCS deserves credit for taking action to improve telephone access, and we will continue to monitor the progress on the remaining recommendations in the months ahead.”
"The Correctional Association of New York's look to improve conditions in the NYS correctional system is a welcome and necessary step forward. These recommendations offer a roadmap for the department to effect meaningful change. I urge DOCCS to adopt these recommendations in full and to work with CANY to monitor and report on their progress. I am particularly appreciative of the recommendation to allow general population incarcerated individuals to make phone calls using tablets. Implementing this change would be a simple but meaningful change that would improve the quality of life for incarcerated individuals and their families. It would also help to reduce tension between incarcerated people and staff," said Senate Correction, Crime, and Crime Victims Chair Julia Salazar. "I urge the DOCCS Commissioner to make CANY's recommendations a reality as quickly as possible."
"CANY's five-point plan offers a comprehensive and common-sense approach to improving conditions in New York's prisons, including by expanding educational opportunities, expediting programs and services, advancing safety initiatives, and ensuring transparency and accountability. I urge DOCCS to adopt these recommendations and work with CANY to implement them in a timely and transparent manner. By doing so, DOCCS can make meaningful progress towards creating a more humane and effective correctional system that benefits all New Yorkers," said Assemblyman David I. Weprin, former Chair of the Committee on Correction.
The Correctional Association of New York (CANY), under §146 of New York’s Correction Law, is charged with visiting and examining the state’s correctional facilities to identify and report on prison conditions, the treatment of incarcerated individuals, and the administration of policy promulgated by the executive and legislature.
As a result of observations made through these monitoring and reporting activities, CANY urges DOCCS to adopt the following recommendations:
1) Bring existing program initiatives to scale.
Expand special programs and initiatives such as work release, educational release, transitional housing, and senior living programs to include the maximum eligible population and optimize enrollment.
2) Address needs at the right time and the right place.
Ensure early availability of substance abuse treatment, anger management, and other essential therapeutic programs for individuals entering incarceration.
Finalize agreements with the Office of Mental Health for the seamless delivery of programming in residential rehabilitation units.
Expedite medication assistance treatment (MAT) assessments to enroll all eligible patients.
3) Pilot incentive-based initiatives to test impact on institutional violence and safety.
Allow general population incarcerated individuals to make phone calls using tablets. Broaden earned housing opportunities.
Establish a college program with live instruction at every facility.
Establish a Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDL) training program at every facility.
4) Address workforce challenges through innovative partnerships.
Leverage the opportunities presented by the Medicaid waiver to access resources and build partnerships with community-based providers.
Partner with community colleges and SUNY to develop career pathways and trainee positions for security, clinical, academic, vocational, and administrative roles within DOCCS.
Expand peer-based programming within facilities by building on existing pilot programs.
5) Exceed goals articulated in the Government Transparency Plan.
Contribute additional datasets to Open Data NY.
Provide timely notification to the press and the public about deaths in DOCCS custody.
Issue press releases and notify a distribution list about newly released publications.
About CANY
CANY, under §146, of New York’s Correction Law, is charged with visiting and examining the state's correctional facilities to identify and report on prison conditions, the treatment of incarcerated individuals, and the administration of policy promulgated by the executive and legislature. Founded in 1844 by concerned citizens of the state and deputized by the state to provide monitoring and oversight of the state’s prisons in 1846, CANY is one of the first organizations in the country prescribed to administer civilian oversight of prisons.
