CANY Applauds Budget Investments in Oversight, Urges Continued Reform
**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**
CONTACT: media@correctionalassociation.org
Tuesday, May 13, 2025
BROOKLYN, NY – The following statement can be attributed to Jennifer Scaife, Executive Director of the Correctional Association of New York (CANY): “The Correctional Association of New York (CANY) applauds the state budget’s significant steps toward enhanced oversight of New York’s prisons. Through a landmark institutional investment of $3 million in new funding to support CANY's monitoring activities and the enhanced responsibilities assigned to the State Commission of Correction (SCOC), New York State has recognized the vital role that prison oversight plays in supporting transparency and accountability.
Likewise, CANY supports the enactment of a statewide body-worn camera program and the authorization for closure of up to three prisons. Both of these measures promise a shift toward a better-functioning, modernized system. We urge policymakers to ensure a transparent process when determining these prison closures and provide for a smooth transition for affected communities.
These budgetary changes represent important progress. CANY remains committed to providing comprehensive and effective oversight of the state’s prisons and to advancing further meaningful reforms that lead to a more just and equitable prison system. We look forward to working with the state to advance these critical goals.”
About the Correctional Association of New York:
CANY, under §146, of New York’s Correction Law, is charged with visiting and examining the state's correctional facilities to identify and report on prison conditions, the treatment of incarcerated individuals, and the administration of policy promulgated by the executive and legislature. Founded in 1844 by concerned citizens of the state and deputized by the state to provide monitoring and oversight of the state’s prisons in 1846, CANY is one of the first organizations in the country prescribed to administer civilian oversight of prisons.
