39 Prisons in New York – In-depth Guide to Local Facilities

Prisons, with their towering walls and iron bars, have long been enigmatic institutions that both fascinate and intimidate society. These sprawling facilities serve as the backdrop to the often untold stories of individuals who have found themselves entangled in the complex web of the criminal justice system.

In the state of New York, home to one of the largest and most diverse prison populations in the United States, the landscape of incarceration is a subject of great significance and concern.

This article delves into the multifaceted world of prisons in New York, examining the various dimensions that define their existence. From their historical roots to their current policies and challenges, we aim to shed light on the complex ecosystem that permeates these correctional facilities.

By exploring the experiences of both inmates and the staff who work within their confines, we seek to provide a comprehensive understanding of the state’s prison system and its impact on society as a whole.

New York’s prison system is a microcosm of the broader issues plaguing the American criminal justice system. It grapples with questions of rehabilitation, recidivism, overcrowding, racial disparities, and the effectiveness of punitive measures. As we unravel the intricacies of this system, we will navigate through the narratives of those affected, striving to amplify their voices and reveal the realities that lie hidden behind the cold steel bars.

While the purpose of prisons is often centered on punishment and public safety, they also hold the potential to serve as spaces for reform and redemption. Throughout this exploration, we will critically examine the initiatives, programs, and policies that have been implemented to address the challenges faced by New York’s prisons. By doing so, we hope to shed light on the ongoing efforts to humanize and transform these institutions into catalysts for positive change.

Join us on this investigative journey as we uncover the inner workings of New York’s prisons, highlighting the stories that shape their existence and the intricate dynamics that surround them. As we delve deeper into this realm, we strive to foster a meaningful conversation about the future of incarceration, with a focus on empathy, justice, and the pursuit of a more equitable society.

State Prisons

Prison NameLocationInmate CapacitySecurity LevelsGenderOperator/
Manager
Adirondack Correctional FacilityRay Brook, NY1214MediumMaleNew York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS)
Altona Correctional FacilityAltona, NY512MediumFemale/MaleNew York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS)
Albion Correctional FacilityAlbion, NY1475MediumFemaleNew York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS)
Attica Correctional FacilityAttica, NY2026MaximumMaleNew York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS)
Auburn Correctional FacilityAuburn, NY1652MaximumMaleNew York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS)
Bare Hill Correctional FacilityMalone, NY593MediumMaleNew York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS)
Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for WomenBedford Hills, NY902MaximumFemaleNew York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS)
Cayuga Correctional FacilityMoravia, NY1280MediumMaleNew York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS)
Clinton Correctional FacilityDannemora, NY2606MaximumMaleNew York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS)
Collins Correctional FacilityCollins, NY1674MediumMaleNew York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS)
Coxsackie Correctional FacilityCoxsackie, NY1202MediumMaleNew York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS)
Eastern Correctional FacilityNapanoch, NY1661MaximumMaleNew York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS)
Elmira Correctional FacilityElmira, NY1779MediumMaleNew York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS)
Fishkill Correctional FacilityBeacon, NY1546MediumMaleNew York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS)
Five Points Correctional FacilityRomulus, NY1740MediumMaleNew York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS)
Franklin Correctional FacilityMalone, NY1660MediumMaleNew York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS)
Gouverneur Correctional FacilityGouverneur, NY952MediumMaleNew York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS)
Great Meadow Correctional FacilityComstock, NY1733MediumMaleNew York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS)
Green Haven Correctional FacilityStormville, NY1824MaximumMaleNew York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS)
Greene Correctional FacilityCoxsackie, NY1658MediumMaleNew York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS)
Groveland Correctional FacilitySonyea, NY1563MediumMaleNew York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS)
Lakeview Shock Incarceration Correctional FacilityBrocton, NY320Shock Incarceration (Boot Camp)MaleNew York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS)
Marcy Correctional FacilityMarcy, NY1732MediumMaleNew York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS)
Mohawk Correctional FacilityRome, NY803MinimumMaleNew York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS)
Orleans Correctional FacilityAlbion, NY1924MediumMaleNew York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS)
Otisville Correctional FacilityOtisville, NY1113MediumMaleFederal Bureau of Prisons
Riverview Correctional FacilityOgdensburg, NY466MediumMaleNew York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS)
Shawangunk Correctional FacilityWallkill, NY1542MediumMaleNew York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS)
Sing Sing Correctional FacilityOssining, NY1692MaximumMaleNew York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS)
Sullivan Correctional FacilityFallsburg, NY1616MediumMaleNew York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS)
Taconic Correctional FacilityBedford Hills, NY986MediumFemaleNew York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS)
Upstate Correctional FacilityMalone, NY1036MaximumMaleNew York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS)
Wallkill Correctional FacilityWallkill, NY579MinimumMaleNew York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS)
Washington Correctional FacilityComstock, NY972MediumMaleNew York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS)
Wende Correctional FacilityAlden, NY819MaximumMaleNew York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS)
Woodbourne Correctional FacilityWoodbourne, NY1089MediumMaleNew York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS)

Adirondack Correctional Facility

The Adirondack Correctional Facility is a medium-security prison located in Ray Brook, New York. Originally built in 1904 as the Ray Brook Sanatorium, it was the first state-operated tuberculosis sanatorium in the United States.

Since then, the facility has undergone several changes in mission and operation, including serving as a rehabilitation center for women with substance abuse disorders and as a camp program for adult inmates.

Today, the Adirondack Correctional Facility detains up to 566 people and offers a range of programs and services to support the rehabilitation of its inmates, including educational and vocational programs, medical and mental health services, and faith-based services.

Overall, the Adirondack Correctional Facility provides a secure environment for its inmates and offers opportunities for rehabilitation and reentry into society.

Albion Correctional Facility

Albion Correctional Facility is a medium-security women’s prison located in Albion, New York. The prison was founded in 1894 as the Western House of Refuge for Women and has since undergone several changes in mission and operation.

Today, Albion Correctional Facility is one of New York’s facilities exclusively for women, along with Bedford Hills Correctional Facility and Taconic Correctional Facility.

The prison has a working capacity of 1,247 and offers a range of programs and services to support the rehabilitation of its inmates, including educational and vocational programs, medical and mental health services, and faith-based services.

Albion Correctional Facility has housed some notable inmates, including “Long Island Lolita” Amy Fisher and fraudster Anna Sorokin. Overall, Albion Correctional Facility provides a secure environment for its inmates and offers opportunities for rehabilitation and reentry into society.

Altona Correctional Facility

Altona Correctional Facility is a medium-security prison located in the town of Altona in Clinton County, New York. The facility has a working capacity of 512 inmates and is managed by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.

Originally built using the former Altona Central School building as its central administrative and school building, the prison has since undergone several changes in operation.

Altona Correctional Facility offers a range of programs and services to support the rehabilitation of its inmates, including educational and vocational programs, medical and mental health services, and faith-based services.

Overall, Altona Correctional Facility provides a secure environment for its inmates and offers opportunities for rehabilitation and reentry into society.

Attica Correctional Facility

Attica Correctional Facility is a maximum-security prison located in the town of Attica, New York. It was constructed in the 1930s in response to earlier riots within the New York state prisons. The prison has a working capacity of 2,253 inmates and is managed by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.

Attica Correctional Facility offers a range of programs and services to support the rehabilitation of its inmates, including educational and vocational programs, medical and mental health services, and faith-based services.

The prison has housed some notable inmates, including David Berkowitz, H. Rap Brown, and Mark David Chapman. In 1971, Attica was the site of a prison uprising in which inmates took control of the prison for several days.

The state’s suppression of the uprising resulted in 43 deaths. Overall, Attica Correctional Facility provides a secure environment for its inmates and offers opportunities for rehabilitation and reentry into society.

Auburn Correctional Facility

Auburn Correctional Facility is a maximum-security prison located in Auburn, New York. It was built in 1816 and is the second oldest state prison in New York.

The prison is known for its historic “Auburn system,” which was a correctional system in which prisoners were housed in solitary confinement in large rectangular buildings and performed penal labor under silence that was enforced at all times.

The prison also had a communal dining room where prisoners could gather together for meals, but a code of silence was enforced harshly at all times by the guards.

Today, Auburn Correctional Facility offers a range of programs and services to support the rehabilitation of its inmates, including educational and vocational programs, medical and mental health services, and faith-based services.

Overall, Auburn Correctional Facility provides a secure environment for its inmates and offers opportunities for rehabilitation and reentry into society.

Bare Hill Correctional Facility

Bare Hill Correctional Facility is a medium-security state prison located in the town of Malone, Franklin County, New York. The facility opened in 1988 and has a working capacity of 1722 inmates.

It is situated near Franklin Correctional Facility and Upstate Correctional Facility. Bare Hill C.F. offers a range of programs and services to support the rehabilitation of its inmates, including social programs to aid residents of the region and work assignments for almost every prisoner.

Notable inmates include Richard Delage, who is serving a life term for shooting and killing a schoolteacher in Mount Kisco in 1960 when he was only 15 years old.

Overall, Bare Hill Correctional Facility provides a secure environment for its inmates and offers opportunities for rehabilitation and reentry into society.

Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women

Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women is the largest maximum-security prison for women in New York state. It was established in 1901 as Westfield State Farm and is located in the town of Bedford, New York.

The facility offers a range of programs and services to support the rehabilitation of its inmates, including educational and vocational programs, medical and mental health services, and faith-based services.

Bedford Hills Correctional Facility is known for its family-centered program, which has served as a model for other prison programs in the United States. It includes a prison nursery established in 1901, which allows incarcerated mothers to stay with their children until they are one year old, or up to one and a half years old in certain cases.

Overall, Bedford Hills Correctional Facility provides a secure environment for its inmates and offers opportunities for rehabilitation and reentry into society.

Cayuga Correctional Facility

Cayuga Correctional Facility is a medium-security state prison for men located in Moravia, Cayuga County, New York. The facility is owned and operated by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision and has a working capacity of 1082 inmates held at medium security.

The prison offers a range of programs and services to support the rehabilitation of its inmates, including educational and vocational programs, medical and mental health services, and faith-based services.

Cayuga Correctional Facility provides a secure environment for its inmates and offers opportunities for rehabilitation and reentry into society.

Clinton Correctional Facility

Clinton Correctional Facility is a maximum-security state prison for men located in the Village of Dannemora, New York. It is the largest maximum-security prison and the third-oldest prison in New York.

The facility offers a range of programs and services to support the rehabilitation of its inmates, including educational and vocational programs, medical and mental health services, and faith-based services.

The prison is sometimes referred to as New York’s Little Siberia, due to the cold winters in Dannemora and the isolation of the upstate area. Clinton Correctional Facility has a storied history, having once served as a massive insane asylum named Dannemora State Hospital for the Criminally Insane.

Overall, Clinton Correctional Facility provides a secure environment for its inmates and offers opportunities for rehabilitation and reentry into society.

Collins Correctional Facility

Collins Correctional Facility is a medium-security prison located in the town of Collins, New York. The facility has a working capacity of 1,700 inmates and is managed by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.

The prison is adjacent to the now-closed Gowanda Correctional Facility, another medium-security prison. Both prisons were formerly part of the Gowanda Psychiatric Center, a state hospital that was established in 1894.

Collins Correctional Facility offers a range of programs and services to support the rehabilitation of its inmates, including educational and vocational programs, medical and mental health services, and faith-based services.

The prison also contains a security housing unit for inmates who assault staff or other inmates and for those who disobey the prison rules. Overall, Collins Correctional Facility provides a secure environment for its inmates and offers opportunities for rehabilitation and reentry into society.

Coxsackie Correctional Facility

Coxsackie Correctional Facility is a maximum-security state prison located in Coxsackie, Greene County, New York. The prison was established in 1935 as the New York State Vocational Institution and currently houses approximately 900 inmates.

Coxsackie Correctional Facility is classified as a maximum-security general confinement facility and detention center for men. The prison offers a range of educational and vocational programs to support the rehabilitation of its inmates, including industrial training in mechanics, machine shop, printing, other trades, and agriculture.

Overall, Coxsackie Correctional Facility provides a secure environment for its inmates and offers opportunities for rehabilitation and reentry into society.

Eastern Correctional Facility

Eastern Correctional Facility is a maximum-security state prison for men located in Napanoch, Ulster County, New York. The facility was established in 1900 as the Eastern New York Reformatory and has been a maximum-security prison since 1973.

Eastern Correctional Facility is one of the oldest prison facilities in the state and has an imposing main building with medieval-style turrets and a long green copper roof. The prison offers a range of educational and vocational programs to support the rehabilitation of its inmates.

Overall, Eastern Correctional Facility provides a secure environment for its inmates and offers opportunities for rehabilitation and reentry into society.

Elmira Correctional Facility

Elmira Correctional Facility, also known as “The Hill,” is a maximum-security state prison located in Chemung County, New York, in the City of Elmira. The facility has a long and storied history, having been founded in 1876 as the Elmira Reformatory and run by its controversial superintendent Zebulon Brockway.

Elmira Correctional Facility offers a range of educational and vocational programs to support the rehabilitation of its inmates, including courses in ethics and religion, vocational training in various trades, and extracurricular activities such as a prison band, newspaper, and various athletic leagues.

The prison has been influential in prison reform, with two central ideas emerging from the Elmira system: differentiating between juvenile and adult offenders and acknowledging the possibility of prisoner rehabilitation.

Overall, Elmira Correctional Facility provides a secure environment for its inmates and offers opportunities for rehabilitation and reentry into society.

Fishkill Correctional Facility

Fishkill Correctional Facility is a multi-security level prison located in Beacon, New York. Originally established as the Matteawan State Hospital for the Criminally Insane in 1892, the facility was converted to a medium-security prison for men in 1977.

Fishkill offers a range of educational programs, vocational training, and therapeutic programs to support the rehabilitation of its inmates. These include Pre-General Equivalency Diploma (Pre-GED), General Equivalency Diploma (GED), English as a Second Language (ESL), and even a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Management.

Fishkill also has a unique program called Puppies Behind Bars, where inmates raise puppies to be guide dogs for the blind, disabled children and adults, and fully-trained service dogs for wounded soldiers coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Overall, Fishkill Correctional Facility provides a secure environment for its inmates and offers opportunities for rehabilitation and reentry into society.

Five Points Correctional Facility

Five Points Correctional Facility is a maximum-security prison for men located in Romulus, New York. The facility is known for being a supermax prison and was built in 2000 with a capacity of 1,500 inmates.

Five Points offers a range of educational and vocational programs to support the rehabilitation of its inmates, including courses in adult basic education, pre-high school equivalency, high school equivalency, and vocational training in various trades such as building maintenance, electrical trades, and plumbing/heating.

The prison also has a Special Housing Unit for up to 50 inmates in disciplinary confinement. Five Points is most famous for its educational program, the Cornell Prison Education Program, in which Five Points pairs with Cornell’s partner Cayuga Community College. The program has been considered successful and has helped many inmates get an education and a second chance at life.

Overall, Five Points Correctional Facility provides a secure environment for its inmates and offers opportunities for rehabilitation and reentry into society.

Franklin Correctional Facility

Franklin Correctional Facility is a medium-security state prison located in Malone, Franklin County, New York. The facility has a capacity of 1,730 inmates and is managed by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.

Franklin Correctional Facility opened in 1986 and is located near Bare Hill Correctional Facility and Upstate Correctional Facility, which are medium and maximum-security prisons, respectively.

The prison offers a range of educational and vocational programs to support the rehabilitation of its inmates, including courses in adult basic education, pre-high school equivalency, high school equivalency, and vocational training in various trades.

Overall, Franklin Correctional Facility provides a secure environment for its inmates and offers opportunities for rehabilitation and reentry into society.

Gouverneur Correctional Facility

Gouverneur Correctional Facility is a medium-security state prison located in Gouverneur, St. Lawrence County, New York. The facility is owned and operated by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision and has a working capacity of 1075 inmates held at medium security.

The prison offers a range of programs and services to support the rehabilitation of its inmates, including educational and vocational programs, medical and mental health services, and faith-based services.

Gouverneur Correctional Facility provides a secure environment for its inmates and offers opportunities for rehabilitation and reentry into society. With a decrease in the number of inmates to 800 by October 2013, the prison is overseen by 367 employees.

Great Meadow Correctional Facility

Great Meadow Correctional Facility is a maximum-security prison located in Comstock, Washington County, New York. The facility has been operational since 1911 and has a capacity of 1,663 inmates.

Over the years, Great Meadow has offered a range of programs and services to support the rehabilitation of its inmates, including educational and vocational programs, medical and mental health services, and faith-based services.

The prison is situated on 1,000 acres of land and features a 3,000-foot wall that encloses just over 21 acres. Great Meadow has had its share of incidents over the years, but overall, it provides a secure environment for its inmates and offers opportunities for rehabilitation and reentry into society.

Green Haven Correctional Facility

Green Haven Correctional Facility is a maximum-security prison in the town of Beekman, Dutchess County, New York. The facility has been operational since 1949 and has a capacity of 2,170 inmates.

Green Haven offers a range of programs and services to support the rehabilitation of its inmates, including educational and vocational programs, medical and mental health services, and faith-based services. The prison has a history of housing high-profile inmates, including Charles “Lucky” Luciano and John Gotti.

Green Haven is also home to the Bard Prison Initiative, which provides college education and tutoring to inmates. Overall, Green Haven Correctional Facility provides a secure environment for its inmates and offers opportunities for rehabilitation and reentry into society.

Greene Correctional Facility

Greene Correctional Facility is a state prison located in Coxsackie, Greene County, New York. The facility is owned and operated by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.

It opened in 1989 and has a capacity of 1,582 inmates at medium security, which includes 171 held in a maximum-security unit. The prison offers a range of programs and services to support the rehabilitation of its inmates, including educational and vocational programs, medical and mental health services, and faith-based services.

While the facility has had incidents of violence, it remains committed to providing a secure environment for its inmates and offers opportunities for rehabilitation and reentry into society.

Groveland Correctional Facility

Groveland Correctional Facility is a medium-security prison located in the town of Groveland in Livingston County, New York. The facility is situated on the site of a former Shaker community and is divided into two parts, upper and lower, with a fence and sally port to restrict movement between the two.

The prison offers a range of programs and services to support the rehabilitation of its inmates, including educational and vocational programs, medical and mental health services, and faith-based services.

The recreation yards feature 3 softball diamonds, a weight yard, and horseshoe pits. Groveland Correctional Facility has a working capacity of 1106 and is committed to providing a secure environment for its inmates and offers opportunities for rehabilitation and reentry into society.

Lakeview Shock Incarceration Correctional Facility

Lakeview Shock Incarceration Correctional Facility is a minimum-security prison located in the Village of Brocton, Chautauqua County, New York. The facility provides a special treatment program for non-violent offenders who are close to being released.

The program is designed to shock the offender into changing poor behavioral patterns and offers a range of educational and vocational programs to support the rehabilitation of its inmates.

Lakeview offers several vocational programs, including Custodial Maintenance, Computer Operator/Digital Literacy & MOS Certification, Building Maintenance, Floor Covering, Horticulture, Painting & Decorating, and Upholstery.

Inmates can also obtain their General Education Diploma (GED) through the education program. Overall, Lakeview Shock Incarceration Correctional Facility is committed to providing a secure environment for its inmates and offers opportunities for rehabilitation and reentry into society.

Marcy Correctional Facility

Marcy Correctional Facility is a medium-security state prison located in Marcy, Oneida County, New York. The facility specializes in providing alcohol and drug treatment programs and has a higher-than-average number of vocational programs.

The prison is designed to be accessible to disabled prisoners, as it is all on one level. Marcy also has a separate medium security housing unit, the Residential Mental Health Unit (RMHU), which houses inmates with lengthy disciplinary sanctions who also suffer from severe mental health issues.

The prison is located across the street from the Central New York Psychiatric Center and the Mid-State Correctional Facility. Overall, Marcy Correctional Facility provides a secure environment for its inmates and offers opportunities for rehabilitation and reentry into society.

Mohawk Correctional Facility

Mohawk Correctional Facility is a medium-security state prison located in Rome, Oneida County, New York. The facility is owned and operated by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision and has a capacity of 1167 inmates.

Mohawk offers a range of programs and services to support the rehabilitation of its inmates, including educational and vocational programs, medical and mental health services, and faith-based services.

The prison also has a maximum security unit and a special housing unit. Mohawk Correctional Facility provides a secure environment for its inmates and offers opportunities for rehabilitation and reentry into society.

Orleans Correctional Facility

Orleans Correctional Facility is a medium-security state prison located in Albion, Orleans County, New York. The facility is owned and operated by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision and has a capacity of 1082 inmates.

The prison offers a range of programs and services to support the rehabilitation of its inmates, including educational and vocational programs, medical and mental health services, and faith-based services.

Orleans Correctional Facility is located near the Albion Correctional Facility and is designed to house male inmates. Overall, Orleans Correctional Facility provides a secure environment for its inmates and offers opportunities for rehabilitation and reentry into society.

Otisville Correctional Facility

Otisville Correctional Facility is a medium-security state prison located in Orange County, New York. The facility has a capacity of 700 inmates and is managed by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.

The prison is adjacent to the Federal Correctional Institution, Otisville, but operates separately. The site was previously used as a tuberculosis sanitarium, a Division of Youth facility, and a drug treatment center before becoming a state prison in 1976.

The prison offers a range of programs and services to support the rehabilitation of its inmates, including educational and vocational programs, medical and mental health services, and faith-based services.

Otisville Correctional Facility provides a secure environment for its inmates and is known for its exterior guards who are mounted on horses due to the length of the prison fence and rough terrain.

Riverview Correctional Facility

Riverview Correctional Facility is a medium-security state prison located in Ogdensburg, St. Lawrence County, New York. The facility is owned and operated by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision and has a capacity of 882 inmates.

Riverview was opened in 1988 as part of a special deal between New York City and the state to house its prisoners. The prison offers a range of programs and services to support the rehabilitation of its inmates, including educational and vocational programs, medical and mental health services, and faith-based services.

Riverview Correctional Facility provides a secure environment for its inmates and is committed to offering opportunities for rehabilitation and reentry into society.

Shawangunk Correctional Facility

Shawangunk Correctional Facility is a maximum-security prison for males located in the Town of Shawangunk, Ulster County, New York. The facility was constructed in 1983 to expand the maximum security capabilities of the state prison system and is managed by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.

The prison offers a range of programs and services to support the rehabilitation of its inmates, including occupational training in building maintenance with specific training in carpentry, electricity, and plumbing. Shawangunk Correctional Facility is also one of the few in the system with a sex offender program.

Notable inmates have included David Berkowitz, better known as Son of Sam, and Larry Davis, who was tried for the attempted murder of a police officer and later convicted in an unrelated murder of a drug dealer.

Overall, Shawangunk Correctional Facility provides a secure environment for its inmates and is committed to offering opportunities for rehabilitation and reentry into society.

Sing Sing Correctional Facility

Sing Sing Correctional Facility, located in the village of Ossining, New York, is a maximum-security prison operated by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. It was completed in 1828 and is about 30 miles north of New York City on the east bank of the Hudson River.

The prison holds about 1,700 inmates and was home to the execution chamber for the State of New York until the abolition of capital punishment in 2004. Sing Sing Correctional Facility is named after the Sintsink Native American tribe, from whom the land was purchased in 1685, and was formerly the name of the village.

The prison has a rich history, including being the fifth prison constructed by New York state authorities and employing the Auburn system, which imposed absolute silence on prisoners.

Sing Sing Correctional Facility is committed to rehabilitation and offers a range of educational programs and services to support its inmates.

Sullivan Correctional Facility

Sullivan Correctional Facility is a maximum-security prison for male inmates located in Fallsburg, New York. The facility is situated on an 850-acre stretch of land that also contains Woodbourne Correctional Facility, a medium-security prison.

The prison was opened in 1985 to compensate for the loss of Rikers Island as a state facility. Sullivan Correctional Facility houses between 560 and 580 inmates in four pods, arranged in a circle. The prison offers a range of programs and services to support the rehabilitation of its inmates, including occupational training, medical and mental health services, and faith-based services.

Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison is a not-for-profit organization that provides college education to incarcerated people in an effort to reduce recidivism and poverty, while strengthening families and communities.

Overall, Sullivan Correctional Facility provides a secure environment for its inmates and is committed to offering opportunities for rehabilitation and reentry into society.

Taconic Correctional Facility

Taconic Correctional Facility is a medium/minimum security women’s prison located in Bedford, New York. The facility is managed by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision and has a maximum capacity of 387 inmates, though the population was under 170 as of November 2021.

The prison is located in Westchester County, about fifty miles north of New York City, and is relatively accessible by public transportation. Taconic Correctional Facility offers a range of programs and services to support the rehabilitation of its inmates, including occupational training, medical and mental health services, and faith-based services.

The prison has a rich history, having opened in 1901 as the New York State Reformatory for Women and being the first women’s prison in the country to have a PhD director. Despite being a women’s prison, there are also nonbinary and transgender men incarcerated there.

Upstate Correctional Facility

Upstate Correctional Facility is a maximum-security prison for men located in Malone, Franklin County, New York. The prison, which was opened in 1998, was the first New York State prison built as a supermax and houses special prisoners with a history of assaultive behavior.

The facility is managed by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision and has a capacity of 1300 inmates. Upstate Correctional Facility offers a range of programs and services to support the rehabilitation of its inmates, including occupational training, medical and mental health services, and faith-based services.

The prison is also a cadre facility and holds approximately 300 inmates who work around the prison grounds. Overall, Upstate Correctional Facility provides a secure environment for its inmates and is committed to offering opportunities for rehabilitation and reentry into society.

Wallkill Correctional Facility

Wallkill Correctional Facility is a medium-security prison located in Wallkill, New York. The facility was opened in 1933 and was originally designed as a collegiate campus without surrounding walls or fences.

The prison is managed by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision and has a capacity of 606 inmates. Wallkill Correctional Facility offers a range of programs and services to support the rehabilitation of its inmates, including occupational training, medical and mental health services, and faith-based services.

The prison is also home to an optical laboratory that produces eyeglasses and participates in the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation’s Second Chances program, which teaches inmates to care for retired racehorses.

Wallkill Correctional Facility provides a secure environment for its inmates and is committed to offering opportunities for rehabilitation and reentry into society.

Washington Correctional Facility

Washington Correctional Facility is a medium-security correctional facility located in Comstock, a hamlet in the Town of Fort Ann in Washington County, New York. The prison is designed for confinement of males age 18 and older and has a working capacity of 882.

The facility offers a variety of programs and services to support the rehabilitation of its inmates, including volunteer and counseling services, and educational and vocational programs. Washington Correctional Facility has a long history of housing high-profile inmates, including Michael Alig, who served some of his sentence at the facility.

Overall, Washington Correctional Facility provides a secure environment for its inmates and is committed to offering opportunities for rehabilitation and reentry into society.

Wende Correctional Facility

Wende Correctional Facility is a maximum-security prison located in Alden, New York, east of Buffalo. The prison was originally built as an Erie County jail and was later sold to the state to meet the need for a maximum-security state prison.

The facility is managed by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision and has a capacity of 961 inmates. Wende Correctional Facility offers a range of programs and services to support the rehabilitation of its inmates, including educational and vocational programs, volunteer and counseling services, and medical and mental health services.

The prison has a history of housing high-profile inmates, including movie executive Harvey Weinstein and the man who murdered John Lennon, Mark David Chapman.

Overall, Wende Correctional Facility provides a secure environment for its inmates and is committed to offering opportunities for rehabilitation and reentry into society.

Woodbourne Correctional Facility

Woodbourne Correctional Facility is a medium-security men’s prison located in Woodbourne, New York, in Sullivan County. The prison is managed by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision and has a capacity of 849 inmates.

Woodbourne Correctional Facility was designed by Alfred Hopkins, who also designed other prisons in the state, including Wallkill Correctional Facility and Coxsackie Correctional Facility. The prison has a history of housing high-profile inmates, including rapper Shyne and juvenile murderer Willie Bosket.

Woodbourne Correctional Facility offers a range of programs and services to support the rehabilitation of its inmates, including educational and vocational programs, medical and mental health services, and volunteer and counseling services.

The prison has recently been impacted by COVID-19, with 142 inmates testing positive for the virus in December 2020. Overall, Woodbourne Correctional Facility provides a secure environment for its inmates and is committed to offering opportunities for rehabilitation and reentry into society.

Wyoming Correctional Facility

Wyoming Correctional Facility is a medium-security men’s prison located in the Town of Attica, Wyoming County, New York. The prison, which was opened in 1984, has a working capacity of 1722 inmates and is managed by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.

The facility is adjacent to the better-known maximum-security Attica Correctional Facility, where the notorious Attica Prison riot took place in September 1971.

Wyoming Correctional Facility offers a range of programs and services to support the rehabilitation of its inmates, including educational and vocational programs, medical and mental health services, and volunteer and counseling services.

The prison provides a secure environment for its inmates and is committed to offering opportunities for rehabilitation and reentry into society.

Federal Prisons

Prison NameLocationInmate CapacitySecurity LevelsGenderOperator/
Manager
Federal Correctional Institution, OtisvilleOtisville, NY820Medium MaleFederal Bureau of Prisons
Federal Correctional Institution, Ray BrookRay Brook, NY845MediumMaleFederal Bureau of Prisons

Federal Correctional Institution, Otisville

Federal Correctional Institution, Otisville is a medium-security federal prison for male inmates located near Otisville, New York. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons and includes a satellite prison camp for minimum-security male offenders.

The prison is known for its relatively high number of Jewish inmates and offers Passover Seders in the prison cafeteria. FCI Otisville is located in southeastern New York State, near the Pennsylvania and New Jersey borders, and 70 miles northwest of New York City.

The prison has housed notable inmates, including former Trump Organization lawyer Michael Cohen and Sicilian banker Michele Sindona.

Overall, Federal Correctional Institution, Otisville provides a secure environment for its inmates and is committed to offering opportunities for rehabilitation and reentry into society.

Federal Correctional Institution, Ray Brook

Federal Correctional Institution, Ray Brook is a medium-security federal prison for male inmates located in North Elba, Essex County, New York. The prison is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons and has a working capacity of approximately 800 inmates.

FCI Ray Brook was initially constructed as the Olympic Village for the 1980 Winter Olympics, which were held in nearby Lake Placid. After the Olympics, the facility was repurposed for use as a federal prison.

The prison offers a range of programs and services to support the rehabilitation of its inmates, including educational and vocational programs, medical and mental health services, and volunteer and counseling services.

Overall, Federal Correctional Institution, Ray Brook provides a secure environment for its inmates and is committed to offering opportunities for rehabilitation and reentry into society.

Source:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_New_York_state_prisons

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