Staff shortages inside New York’s prisons have surged since an unlawful strike earlier this year — and some facilities are now operating with more than half their security jobs unfilled.
That’s according to new data released by the Correctional Association of New York (CANY), which shows a systemwide staff vacancy rate of 27.4% as of April — more than double the 13.3% rate reported at the start of 2024.
Security staffing takes the hardest hit
The largest losses came from security staff, where nearly one in three positions are now vacant. CANY says the rate jumped from 11% to 31.8% in just 16 months, creating major instability in prisons across the state.
Several facilities in North Country and Western New York reported the most extreme shortages:
- Upstate Correctional Facility: 66.6% of security jobs vacant
- Lakeview: 57.4%
- Cayuga: 56.5%
- Bare Hill: 54.8%
- Collins: 54.7%
Other departments, including health services and administrative support, continue to see vacancy rates between 13% and 23%, though some areas have seen modest improvement since 2024.
DOCCS ramps up hiring efforts
In response, the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) has launched new recruitment efforts. Since the strike, participation in the correction officer exam has jumped 160%, and hiring is up 62%, according to the agency. More than 740 previously terminated staff have also been reinstated.
But CANY says the crisis is far from over.
“The staffing numbers from April 2025 show how the wildcat strike and its aftermath have pushed an already strained system deeper into crisis,” said Jennifer Scaife, the group’s executive director. “The data highlights the urgent need for strategic, long-term solutions to the challenge of staffing prisons in New York.”
A broader look at prison conditions
The updated staffing data is part of CANY’s growing transparency dashboard, which already tracks population numbers, deaths in custody, and other unusual incidents. The nonprofit plans to add more categories later this year, including data on rehabilitative and educational program participation.
You can explore the full dashboard at: correctionalassociation.org/data/dashboard-staffing
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