Governor Kathy Hochul has been granted the authority to close up to five state prisons with a 90-day notice, as part of the 2024-25 New York state budget agreement.
The decision on which correctional facilities will be closed has not yet been announced.
This new mandate is part of the public protection and general government budget bill, which requires Hochul to notify Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie of the closures.
The closures are prompted by a staffing crisis and a significant decline in the state’s prison population, which has decreased by 54.7% since 1999.
The Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) reports 3,800 vacant positions, including 1,900 corrections officers.
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