Gowanda, NY (WBEN) The Gowanda Correctional Facility will close in March as part of the recently-enacted state budget. 511 officers will be affected.
Watertown Correctional and the Clinton Annex are also closing, according to the NYSCOPBA.
The state budget now allows for the governor to close prisons with 90 days notice.
NYSDOCCS spokesman Thomas Mailey issued the following statement:
"Since taking office, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has been at the forefront of some of the nation's most progressive criminal justice reforms by spearheading a series of smart and fair policies that have closed prisons and decreased incarceration rates, brought accountability and transparency to our criminal justice system, protected the rights of victims and upheld due process, all while ensuring New York residents remain safe and secure."
"Since Governor Cuomo took office in 2011, the prison population has declined by more than 22,000 - a 39% reduction - from 57,229 to 34,842 people, as of December 21, 2020. In fact, the current DOCCS population is at its lowest level in more than 30 years, with New York leading the nation with the lowest imprisonment rate of any large state."
"That's why DOCCS carefully reviewed the operations at its 52 correctional facilities and identified Watertown and Gowanda Correctional Facilities and the Clinton Annex for closure. While conducting the review, DOCCS based the decision on a variety of factors, including but not limited to physical infrastructure, program offerings, facility security level, specialized medical and mental health services, other facilities in the area to minimize the impact to staff, potential reuse options and areas of the State where prior closures have occurred in order to minimize the impact to communities. With the closure of these two facilities and the Clinton-Annex, we will be able to absorb the incarcerated population into vacant beds available at other institutions. These closures will result in an annual savings of approximately $89 million and a reduction of around 2,750 beds."
"DOCCS will work closely with the various bargaining units to provide staff opportunities for priority placement via voluntary transfers and will receive priority in terms of employment at other facilities or other state agencies as a result of the formal Civil Service process that is followed with the closure of a correctional facility. DOCCS does not anticipate any layoffs due to these closures."
"DOCCS will also work cooperatively with the Office of General Services and Economic Development to facilitate the re-use of the closed facilities. Upon closure, DOCCS will begin the decommission process in order to protect the State assets for potential re-use."
NYSCOPBA responded with this statement:
The New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association, Inc.
(NYSCOPBA) today criticized Governor Cuomo's decision to close more prisons as a part of his Executive Budget plan for fiscal year 2020-2021. The announcement to close Gowanda Correctional Facility, Watertown Correctional Facility and the Annex at Clinton Correctional Facility will impact more than 900 NYSCOPBA positions, disrupt the family lives of thousands and devastate communities.
"Announcing closures just days before Christmas is not only highly inconsiderate but it also demonstrates a lack of respect for the hardworking men and women of NYSCOPBA and their families. Can Governor Cuomo look our members in the face and say that, despite prison violence at near record levels, closing prisons is what's best and will produce a safer environment?" said Michael B. Powers, President of NYSCOPBA.
Despite having authority to close more state prisons, NYSCOPBA has urged the Governor and the Legislature to halt any closure plans until violence escalation within the prison system is first addressed.
"Even in the face of the pandemic that greatly restricted inmate movement, New York did not see a reduction in prison violence during 2020. And despite limited visitations during the pandemic, illegal contraband remains a significant problem in correctional facilities. Calling for additional closures will only serve to condense the prison population within a decreasing number of facilities, further jeopardizing the safety of NYSCOPBA members and the inmate population as a whole," stated Powers.
The Union, which represents correctional officers and sergeants working inside New York's prisons, has for years been calling on the State Legislature and the Governor to refrain from prison closures before an adequate assessment of safety within the prison system occurs. That has yet to happen, according to NYSCOPBA.
Likewise, the economic impact of this news cannot be understated. Upstate communities that maintain prisons rely heavily on revenue generated from those employed in such facilities.
"Upstate communities were struggling even before the onset of COVID-19. Removing hundreds of jobs within these localities will be a crippling financial blow.
And to deliver this news just days before Christmas is flat out wrong. We'll continue to fight for our members and the communities where they live," added Powers.
NYSCOPBA is also calling on the State Legislature and the Governor to enact safety reforms to the prison system that recognize the dangers that the men and women who are on the front line face every day, regardless of the existence of a pandemic.
According to Powers, the State needs to reinstitute a secure vendor package program, enact statutory measures requiring the removal of double bunks in the medium dormitory settings, and provide a more robust officer to inmate ratio, among other initiatives.
The affected officers will be given a chance to transfer to other facilities.
