Senator Gallivan says Closure of State Correctional Facilities will Hurt Communities & Workers

Senator Patrick M. Gallivan (R-C, Elma) says the decision by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) to close six prisons across the state early next year will devastate communities where they are located and hurt the hardworking men and women who work in the facilities.

The state announced Monday that it would close Downstate Correctional Facility in Fishkill, Ogdensburg Correctional Facility, Moriah Shock Incarceration Correctional, The Willard Drug Treatment Campus, Southport Correctional Facility and Rochester Correctional Facility.  All will officially close on March 10, 2022.

“This latest round of closings unfairly punishes thousands of corrections officers and other prison employees and their families,” Senator Gallivan said.  “These men and women work in some of the most dangerous and challenging environments and put their health and safety on the line every day to keep our communities safe. Closing these facilities will not only devastate these families, it will cause economic hardship in communities across the state and will do nothing to keep law-abiding citizens safe.  . I thank all of the hard working public servants at the Gowanda Correctional Facility for their professionalism under these very difficult circumstances.”

Senator Gallivan is calling on DOCCS to work with the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOPBA), AFSCME, CSEA and PEF to ensure the best possible outcome for all those affected.

Over the past 10 years, over 20 prison facilities have been closed across the state.

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