NYS to close Clinton Correctional Facility Annex

DANNEMORA | After decades of operation, the Clinton Correctional Facility Annex will be closed per New York State in spring 2021. Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Commissioner Anthony Annucci made the announcement Dec. 21, saying the Clinton Annex will officially close its doors in March 2021, along with the Gowanda and Watertown Correctional Facilities as part of a 2020-2021 budget amendment. A provision in the budget allows Cuomo the ability to close prisons with a 90-day notice. "To achieve the savings associated with the state's financial plan for this agency, the closure process must begin immediately in (March 2021)," Annucci wrote to superintendents at the affected facilities, saying DOCCS performed a "detailed review" of all state facilities and their operations before selecting the three facilities for final approval and closure. "The decision to close these facilities was a difficult one for all involved. The incarcerated population has continued to decline significantly, and we must efficiently deploy our allocated staff and resources while also operating the state prison system in a safe and appropriate manner." Annucci said regardless of the budgetary rationale supporting the decision to close the three facilities, he acknowledged the action affects the lives of employees "is a matter of utmost seriousness and sensitivity." "We are also mindful of the impact this will have on the surrounding communities that have always proven to be excellent neighbors for our facilities. The department will make every effort to assist each facility employee to transfer into an available, funded, vacant position at another correctional facility." At Clinton, the Annex houses several hundred inmates with roughly 200 officers and staff members assigned to that area. News of its closure came as a shock to both officers and families Dec. 21 as local representatives with the New York State Police and Benevolent Association worked to decipher the immediate impact on Annex employees. "Closing Clinton Annex will have a significant impact on the Town of Dannemora. Like many other upstate towns that are struggling economically during this pandemic, the 200 plus officers and sergeants that work at Clinton Annex and their families support many of the local businesses in Dannemora and the surrounding towns," NYSCOPBA Northern Region Vice President John Roberts said later Dec. 21. "Closing the Annex and eliminating these positions could have a devastating impact on the community and is disheartening with Christmas just days away." DOCCS officials said representatives with the department's Bureau of Personnel will visit each affected facility in the coming weeks to detail personnel decisions and transition. In the meantime, staff is being encouraged to work with local union representatives as the closure process begins. NYSCOPBA President Michael Powers and the union's executive board notified staff of the state's decision by email and a web announcement following a 10:30 a.m. conference call in which they learned of the pending closures. Powers later said "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." U.S. Representative Elise Stefanik quickly denounced the move, saying "In his latest misguided attempt to weaken our law enforcement and make New York less safe, Governor Cuomo is pulling the rug out from our correction officers, their families, and our North Country communities after an already challenging year." "I am deeply opposed to the Governor's proposed closures. Our brave correction officers are an essential part of our upstate law enforcement community. The timing of this announcement could not be worse right before the holidays and as crime rates in the state are on the rise and COVID-19 continues to spread throughout our prisons. Our correction officers have risked their health and personal safety throughout the COVID-19 pandemic." Stefanik said she is "now calling on the Governor to immediately reverse this action and keep our corrections officers, their families, and our communities safe by keeping these essential facilities open." The Clinton Annex was first opened as a state hospital in the early 1900s before it was later transitioned into an inmate housing unit and extension of the main maximum-security prison in the 1970s. The Clinton Correctional main will remain open as many officers now hope for consolidation into the adjacent facility. Officer transfers to other facilities is also a stark possibility based on seniority and other employment factors.

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NYS to close Clinton Correctional Facility Annex

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