Correctional Association of New York Enhances Prison Transparency Dashboard with New Data on Staffing Levels
Tool Provides Data on Incarcerated Individual Population, Deaths in Prisons, Unusual Incidents, and Staffing
BROOKLYN, NY – The Correctional Association of New York (CANY) today announced an update to its prison transparency dashboard, now including key data on staffing fill rates and vacant positions across New York State's prisons. This release of data builds upon CANY's commitment to promoting transparency and informed change by providing the public with easily accessible and comprehensive information about prisons in New York.
The enhanced dashboard now features:
Systemwide staffing fill rates and vacant positions.
Staffing fill rates and vacant positions for each individual prison broken down by security, medical, program/educational, and support staff.
Trends in staffing levels over time.
Key findings include:
As of January 2024, 13% of positions at DOCCS facilities were vacant, with the most significant vacancies concentrated in health services (25%), support services (18%), and program services (16%). Security staff had the lowest vacancy rate at 11%, though they represent the highest number of vacancies overall as they are the most numerous positions at facilities.
Vacancy rates for corrections officers at facilities with open positions ranged from 26% at Queensboro and Adirondack to 2% at Gouverneur. Taconic, which employs 119 officers, was the only facility with no officer vacancies.
There were 2.2 incarcerated people for every uniformed security officer at DOCCS facilities in 2024. New York has among the lowest staff to incarcerated individual ratio of any state.
Between March 2020 and January 2024, the number of total filled staff positions at DOCCS facilities decreased from 25,897 to 20,485, representing a 21% reduction. The incarcerated population decreased 30% from 43,801 to 30,746 during this time.
"Staffing challenges are frequently cited during CANY’s monitoring of DOCCS facilities," said Jennifer Scaife, Executive Director of CANY. "Our expanded dashboard will allow for greater scrutiny of the staffing challenges facing New York's prisons and arm advocates and policymakers with facts to work towards change.”
This update adds to the dashboard's existing data on incarcerated individuals under custody, deaths in custody, and unusual incidents, offering a more comprehensive view of the state's prisons. CANY remains dedicated to expanding the dashboard with additional datasets throughout the year, including enrollment and completion data on academic, vocational, and mandated rehabilitative programs.
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.