A state-authorized prison oversight group says incarcerated people at Lakeview Correctional Facility reported unusually high levels of staff abuse, coercive physical training and unmet medical needs. The Correctional Association of New York said 21 of 23 people who answered its staff-treatment question reported seeing or experiencing verbal, physical or sexual abuse, while 16 of 21 reported witnessing or experiencing racialized abuse.
The state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision disputed the allegations in a written response included with the report. The department said later reviews by its Office of Special Investigations did not find cases supporting CANY's abuse claims and called the accusations unsubstantiated.
What monitors found
CANY released the 67-page report Monday following an April 16, 2025, monitoring visit to the mixed-security prison in Brocton, Chautauqua County. The organization conducted one-on-one interviews with 57 incarcerated people, representing 17% of the facility population at the time, and met with prison leaders, union representatives, medical staff and incarcerated representatives.
Lakeview operates New York's only remaining Shock Incarceration Program for men and women. The prison also runs a court-ordered 90-day drug treatment program and a step-down program for men transitioning from restrictive housing.
Interviewees described threats of removal from programs, collective punishment and physical training imposed for minor infractions, according to CANY. Some said they were required to hold stress positions or stand and drink water without being allowed to use a toilet.
The report also identified health care concerns. Thirteen of 21 respondents said they had unaddressed medical or dental needs. Among those who said they received care, three of nine rated medical care as adequate and one of five rated dental care as adequate.
Several respondents described delayed or missed medications, changes made without explanation and difficulty consulting clinicians about side effects or ongoing symptoms. CANY also found concerns involving access to phones, tablets, commissary items, academic and vocational programming, and temperature control.
DOCCS disputes abuse claims
DOCCS said it sent Office of Special Investigations staff to Lakeview on June 10 and June 23, 2026, after receiving CANY's report. The agency said investigators interviewed incarcerated people and staff, toured the prison and reviewed body-camera and drone footage recorded between February and June.
According to the department, investigators did not observe or receive claims of abuse, humiliation or fear during those visits. DOCCS also said a review of internal Public Integrity Division cases covering Jan. 1, 2025, through June 15, 2026, found no cases supporting CANY's allegations.
The department said CANY did not provide specific, identifiable incidents or names that would allow investigators to examine individual allegations. It also said many people interviewed during the later state reviews described positive experiences in the Shock program.
DOCCS said some service disruptions documented by CANY occurred during the aftermath of an unauthorized statewide correction officers' work stoppage. Lakeview lost 113 correction officers, and the department said the prison had a roughly 42% security vacancy rate and 26 National Guard members supporting daily operations when CANY visited.
On medical care, DOCCS said emergency services are available around the clock, scheduled sick call is offered four days a week and clinical services are available on-site five days a week. The department said some incarcerated people told state investigators about delays in receiving treatment, but no specific medical-service complaints were presented during those interviews.
CANY seeks outside review
CANY recommended that DOCCS bring in an independent outside agency to evaluate Lakeview's program models, staff practices and institutional culture. The organization also called for the state inspector general to investigate allegations that stress positions were used as punishment or as what staff called learning experiences.
Jennifer Scaife, CANY's executive director, said the allegations and untreated medical conditions raise questions about whether Lakeview is meeting the therapeutic goals of its Shock, drug treatment and step-down programs.
CANY noted that its monitoring process gathers accounts and perceptions but does not give the organization authority to independently verify individual allegations. The report said those accounts are treated as a basis for further inquiry and are referred, with consent, to appropriate government or legal organizations.
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