Four in five incarcerated people who responded to a statewide prison survey said their living area was excessively hot, while more than two-thirds raised health and safety concerns about facility disrepair, according to findings released Wednesday by the Correctional Association of New York.
The independent oversight organization received 5,731 responses after distributing 31,182 surveys in New York state prisons between July and September 2025, an 18.4% response rate. Respondents supplied more than 1 million answers about basic services, health care, programs, recreation, staff relationships, discipline, grievances and living conditions.
The results represent the experiences reported by survey participants rather than the entire state prison population. The Correctional Association said 69% of respondents identified health or safety concerns tied to disrepair and 80% described their living areas as excessively hot.
Reported abuse and safety concerns
Thirty-four percent of respondents said they had experienced physical abuse by prison staff, and 61% said they had witnessed such abuse, according to the report.
The survey was distributed several months after the deaths of Robert Brooks in December 2024 and Messiah Nantwi in March 2025 and a 22-day unauthorized strike by correctional officers. The strike severely limited operations and led to the deployment of the National Guard, the association said.
The findings also follow an independent review by the law firm WilmerHale. According to the association's release, that review identified opportunities to improve prison culture, rehabilitation, staff accountability, safety and well-being.
Health care and programs receive mixed ratings
Forty-three percent of respondents said they were satisfied with the medical care they received after their most recent sick-call request. Thirty-seven percent considered the quality of mental health care adequate.
Academic and vocational programs received similar scores. In each category, 58% of respondents rated program quality at least 6 on a 10-point scale.
Food tops daily concerns
Food quality was the issue most frequently identified as affecting daily life, cited by 41.7% of respondents. Programs and employment followed at 35.3%, general medical care at 33.2%, commissary access at 32%, and mail and packages at 30.3%.
The survey also asked about respondents' lives before and during incarceration. Sixty-four percent said they had been victims of crime before entering prison, and 51% reported that they had first been incarcerated before age 18.
The Correctional Association is authorized under state Correction Law to visit and examine correctional facilities and report on prison conditions, the treatment of incarcerated people and the administration of state policy. The organization released the systemwide findings Aug. 19.
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