As Lawmakers Consider Prison Closures, Correctional Association Releases New Interactive Map Providing Insights Into State Prison System
Data Tool Provides Searchable Information on Facility Population, Staffing Data, & Capacity
NEW YORK — As lawmakers consider Governor Hochul’s proposal to close up to five facilities statewide, the Correctional Association of New York (CANY) today launched a new interactive map, offering insights into the state’s prison system. This data tool equips the public with searchable metrics on all state prisons, including facility population, staffing levels, and capacity.
CANY’s interactive map is available here: www.correctionalassociation.org/prison-map
“This tool organizes relevant public information in one place so that stakeholders can see staff vacancies and capacity at a facility-by-facility level. We hope this tool will serve as a resource for policymakers, advocates, and the public as lawmakers consider the Governor’s proposal to close up to five prisons,” said Jennifer Scaife, Executive Director of the Correctional Association of New York.
Excess Capacity
Driven by criminal justice reforms enacted over the past two decades, New York’s prison system is operating well under capacity. CANY strongly supports the Executive Budget's proposal to close up to five correctional facilities within 90 days, based on these trends. Currently, prisons are 72% full when considering total beds versus total population.
As of February 1, 2024, the five prisons with the highest number of empty beds were:
Great Meadow Correctional Facility: 1,157 empty beds, 27% full
Auburn Correctional Facility: 713 empty beds, 58% full
Clinton Correctional Facility: 638 empty beds, 68% full
Franklin Correctional Facility: 616 empty beds, 57% full
Bare Hill Correctional Facility: 604 empty beds, 57% full
Significant Staff Shortages
As reflected in the interactive map, the prison system is facing critical staff shortages. As of January 4, 2023, 9% of DOCCS positions were vacant, with the most significant vacancies concentrated in health services (25%), support services (19%), and program services (17%). Staff required for the direct supervision of incarcerated individuals had a vacancy rate of 5%, which, while significantly lower than the vacancy rates for civilian staff positions, represents a higher number of vacancies overall and impacts operations across all areas of a given facility.
These staff shortages were unevenly distributed with some medium and maximum security prisons experiencing significantly higher vacancy rates than others:
Bedford Hills Correctional Facility: Program staff - 59% vacant (43 of 73 positions)
Sullivan Correctional Facility: Medical services - 56% vacant (22 of 40 positions)
Sing Sing Correctional Facility: Support staff - 36% vacant (23 of 64 positions)
Hudson Correctional Facility: Staff Supervising Incarcerated Individuals (Security) - 17% vacant (151 of 182 positions)
Adirondack Correctional Facility: Staff Supervising Incarcerated Individuals (Security) - 12% vacant (150 of 170 positions)
Data Sources
The map uses incarcerated population data from February 1, 2024, Department of Corrections and Community Supervision staffing data from January 4, 2023, and facility capacity data from January 11, 2024. In order to provide context, the map also incorporates notable features about each facility (e.g., the presence of a Regional Medical Unit for long-term medical care) and county-level population data from the 2020 census to better understand proximity to population centers and access to regional services.
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.