Correctional Association of New York Releases Report on Wallkill Correctional Facility
Tuesday, April 1, 2025
Brooklyn, NY—The Correctional Association of New York (CANY) has released a Post Visit Briefing report on Wallkill Correctional Facility, a medium-security prison for men located in Ulster County, NY. Opened in 1933, Wallkill is the oldest continuously operating medium-security prison in New York. The report details findings from interviews with incarcerated individuals, analysis of administrative data, meetings with staff, and observations made by CANY during a monitoring visit in February 2024.
Key findings include:
Medical and Dental Care: Most respondents indicated their health needs were being met, Wallkill had the lowest rate of respondents who stated that medication was provided as prescribed, when compared to other facilities visited by CANY. Wallkill does not have its own pharmacy.
Staff Interactions: Wallkill had the lowest rate of reported abuse when compared to other medium security facilities visited by CANY.
Grievances: The rate of filed grievances was lower than in most other prisons.
Discipline: The proportion of Wallkill respondents who reported being subjected to the disciplinary process is higher than that of most prisons in the sample. Most respondents believed the disciplinary system was unfair.
Programs: Although Wallkill offers vocational, industry, and volunteer programs that are well regarded by incarcerated people, the facility ranks lower than most prisons in the sample in terms of access to those opportunities. Numerous incarcerated people reported long wait times to enroll in programs.
Basic Needs: A number of incarcerated individuals noted challenges accessing phones in some housing units and concerns regarding the availability and affordability of items in the commissary. Due to space constraints, Wallkill does not have its own commissary.
Material Conditions: Wallkill had a lower rate of respondents who stated they had access to clean drinking water, when compared to other facilities visited by CANY.
CANY Executive Director Jennifer Scaife said, "Our report offers insights into the strength of programming, medical care, and access to basic services at Wallkill Correctional Facility, while highlighting the challenges of operating a modern institution inside a century-old facility.”
The full report detailing these findings is available on CANY's website at:
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.
