OGDENSBURG, New York (WWNY) – Governor Hochul says more closures are absolutely on the table after we asked for her stance on state prisons. She said many prisons are half full because of a declining population since the late 1990s. So, where do local prison populations stand?
According to the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, the inmate population at New York prisons is the lowest it has been since 1984 and the 4 prisons in the north country reflect that population decline
“We don’t need as many prisons; the number of people incarcerated has gone down dramatically in our state, so that’s something that’s absolutely on the table,” said Hochul on Wednesday.
DOCCS says the current state prison population is 31,592, down from its all-time high of 72,773 in 1999. This represents a 56 percent decline in prison population.
“What I found is that many facilities in upstate…are only half full,” said Hochul.
In the north country, Ogdensburg Correctional Facility is 36 percent full, the emptiest of the 4 local prisons.
Riverview Correctional Facility, also in Ogdensburg, sits at 61 percent capacity.
Gouverneur Correctional stands at 67 percent. Cape Vincent Correctional Facility has the highest population at 74 percent capacity.
State Assemblyman Mark Walczyk doesn’t feel any upstate prisons should be on the chopping block.
“If you are ever going to close a prison, it should a prison in an area that has a reuse plan that has land value for a developer. Don’t pick an upstate prison that depends on those jobs,” said Walczyk (R. – 116th District).
Hochul also says if more prisons do close, she wants to get creative in their reuse. But, Walczyk points out there are 20 facilities across the state that are still waiting for a creative reuse plan, like Watertown Correctional, which was closed earlier this year under the Cuomo Administration.
“You create a plan before you close a facility, you don’t do it the other way around,” said Walczyk.
Senator Patty Ritchie (R. – 48th District) says she is disheartened to hear that the governor is considering plans to close additional prisons and targeting upstate facilities.
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