Why New York is closing six prisons (published 2021)

New York officials announced plans Monday to close six state prisons early next year, one of the largest such closures by the state, as the inmate population continues to decline.

With the closure, Governor Kathy Hochul is following the example of her predecessor, Andrew M. Cuomo, who closed 18 prisons during his nearly 11 years in office amid a series of criminal justice reforms that reduced New York's prison population to its lowest level since 1984.

Closing prisons is typically controversial in New York because the facilities are major employers in the communities in the northern part of the state, where many of them have closed their doors, even as criminal justice reform advocates view these steps as the fruit of long-term efforts to end mass incarceration.

But the closures announced Monday coincide with a heated political debate over the effect of left-wing measures on public safety, with Democrats in New York still reeling from their losses in statewide elections last week.

Republicans quickly attacked Ms. Hochul, a Democrat from the Buffalo area, for the decision, portraying it as an insult to prison workers and trying to tie the closures to measures such as changes to the state's bail laws, which were used as an excuse . club against the Democrats.

“Closing prisons is an idea that might appeal to liberal primary voters, but it provides no benefit to upstate communities and represents another step backward in public safety,” said Will Barclay, the leader of the Republican minority in the State Assembly.

The closures announced Monday were tied to this year's state budget, which was negotiated in March between Mr. Cuomo and Democrats who control the state Legislature.

It was unclear whether Ms Hochul would follow through with these steps when she took office in August, but she hinted last month that she was exploring the possibility of using some of the facilities for other purposes.

“I want to get creative with this,” Ms. Hochul then said. “I don't know if anything can be used as a substance abuse treatment center. We don't need so many prisons.”

State officials said Monday that the state would work to “repurpose” the closed prisons, but did not provide details.

The closures come as the state's prison population has fallen to 31,469, a 56 percent drop from a peak of 72,773 in 1999. The sharp decline is partly a result of the dismantling of tough 1970s drug laws and laws that make early release possible. for non-violent offenders.

The six prisons that will close are well under capacity: all together they house 3,253 people, but now house only 1,420, all of whom will be transferred to other facilities before closing in March 2022.

The measure is expected to save taxpayers $142 million, officials said, adding that the closures would not result in layoffs. Instead, the state will seek to transfer the approximately 1,700 employees who work at the six prisons to other facilities or agencies.

Michael Powers, the president of the New York State Correctional Officers Police Benevolent Association, said the union opposed the closures, adding that the state was saving money while doing little to protect corrections officers who, he said, are suffering had experienced an increase in violent attacks.

“Where is the reinvestment in the facilities to make these prisons safer work environments?” said Mr. Powers. “At some point, the state must realize that these choices are more than just buildings and tax savings, these are life-changing decisions that upend lives and destroy communities.”

State officials chose the six prisons, most of which are located in the northern part of the state, after analyzing factors such as proximity to other facilities where staff members could be moved and whether they were in parts of the state where previous closures hurt the local economy had already influenced. Also taken into account was recent state legislation passed by Democrats aimed at curbing the use of solitary confinement and limiting the number of people sent back to prison for technical parole violations.

The largest of the six prisons being closed is Downstate Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison in Dutchess County in the Hudson Valley that can hold up to 1,221 people but is operating at 56 percent capacity. The smallest is the Rochester Correctional Facility, which can accommodate up to 70 people.

Sen. Peter Harckham, a Westchester County Democrat, said he hoped the money saved from the closures would be reinvested in drug treatment options for inmates, one of the factors driving reincarnation.

“If we want to end the revolving door of people going in and out of prisons and end recidivism, we need to seriously tackle substance abuse and mental health issues while people are in prison,” Mr Harckham said.

Two prisons will be closed in the North Country region, while there are six other prisons are closed since 2009, including two earlier this year, resulting in the loss of hundreds of jobs.

On Monday, Representative Elise Stefanik, a Republican who represents most of the area, urged Ms. Hochul to “reverse course,” saying the closures would “devastate our region.”

“Targeting multiple North Country prisons is an attack on the hardworking residents of the North Country,” Ms. Stefanik said.

Criminal activists welcomed the closures but nonetheless said Ms. Hochul should use her clemency powers to release more individuals and urged the Legislature to pass legislation that would lead to additional releases.

“Without these measures, and despite these closures, thousands of people will continue to languish needlessly behind bars,” said Jose Saldana, director of the Release Aging People in Prison campaign. “Tens of thousands of Black and Latinx families are counting on New York's leaders to bring their loved ones home.”

New York will have 44 state prisons after the closures announced Monday take effect in March.

When he became governor in 2011, Mr. Cuomo closed seven prisons, including two in New York City. He called this a priority for a state facing a budget crisis, stating that “an incarceration program is not a jobs program.”