Governor Andrew M. Cuomo plans to close up to three correctional facilities by September, but the North Country’s state representatives says local facilities should not be considered.

Specifically, under legislation introduced as a budget amendment, the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision will select the prisons, transition staff and incarcerated individuals, and cease facility operations by no later than Sept. 1, 2019.  

"In my first State of the State address eight years ago, I said prisons are not a jobs program. Since then, I am proud to have closed more prisons than any governor in history and at the same time proved that New York can remain the safest large state in the nation. But we must do more," Governor Cuomo said. "These new closures are another step toward reversing the era of mass incarceration and recognizing that there are more effective alternatives to lengthy imprisonment."

Since Governor Cuomo took office in 2011, the prison population has declined by nearly 10,000 - a 16.7% reduction - from 56,419 to 46,973 people, as of today. In fact, the current population is at its lowest level in thirty years and leads the nation with the lowest imprisonment rate of any large state. 

But St. Lawrence County’s state representatives are telling the Cuomo to look downstate if he wants to save money, because prisons here are among the most efficiently run in the state.

“If the Governor is serious about saving money by closing correctional facilities, I encourage him to look downstate at the facilities which are the most expensive to run,” Assemblyman Mark Walczyk said.

Sen. Patty Ritchie, who says closing North Country prisons is not the answer.

“The five prisons in our region, and the jobs they support, are critical to our local communities and their economies. Every day, dedicated, hardworking correctional officers and other prison staff members take pride in ensuring these facilities are among the safest and most efficient prisons in our state,” Ritchie said.

She said she is already reaching out to inform officials the importance of the area's correctional facilities.

“Earlier today, I spoke with New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent association President Michael Powers who is well aware of how critical each of these five prison facilities are to our region. I have also begun conversations with budget and finance officials in Albany to stress the importance of keeping North Country prisons open. I want to make certain they know how much these facilities mean to the communities where they exist.”

“In the North Country, every job counts. We don’t have Amazon wanting to locate in our region—nor do we have the opportunity to turn down the tens of thousands of jobs a project like that would support. Now is not the time to be looking at closing our prisons in our region, and I will continue to fight to see that that message is heard in Albany.”

New York's reduction in prison population has coincided with significant decreases in reported crime, including both violent and property offenses, according to the governor.

In 2017, reported crime reached an all-time low since statewide reporting began in 1975. Preliminary data for 2018 shows that crime continued to decline for the sixth consecutive year and will mark yet another historic low, a release from the governor said.

 Over the past decade, the state's crime rate has declined by nearly 25% due to the precipitous decline in crime and increase in number of residents. This has cemented New York's position as the safest large state in the nation.