Statement from the Correctional Association of New York on the Announced Closure of Bare Hill CF and Partial Closure of Collins CF
November 18, 2025
Contact: media@correctionalassociation.org
NEW YORK, NY – The following statement can be attributed to Jennifer Scaife, Executive Director of the Correctional Association of New York (CANY):
CANY commends today's announcement from Governor Kathy Hochul and Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) Commissioner Daniel Martuscello regarding the closure of Bare Hill Correctional Facility and a partial closure of Collins Correctional Facility.
During a monitoring visit to Bare Hill in 2022, CANY documented "extensive evidence of abusive staff behavior and an environment of fear” rooted in incarcerated people’s reports of systematic—and often racialized—physical and verbal abuse, poor treatment, and retaliation. CANY's subsequent review of administrative data highlighted the overall lack of safety and control within the prison, showing that Bare Hill had a 52% higher rate of assaults among incarcerated individuals than the system-wide average. Furthermore, in April 2025, the facility faced a vacancy rate of 45%, including 55% of security posts and 34% of program services positions, while operating at only 49% capacity. Bare Hill is one of three state prisons in the town of Malone, New York, near the Canadian border.
CANY’s October 2024 visit to Collins identified significant operational inefficiencies due to the physical layout, which effectively doubles the use of limited resources. Collins has also experienced significant staffing challenges in 2025, with 42.8% of positions remaining unfilled, including 55% of security posts and 44% of health services positions, while operating at only 42% capacity.
CANY urges the Governor to go one step further, as authorized in the state budget, by closing Marcy Correctional Facility, a deeply troubled state prison where CANY has recently documented poor conditions and acute staffing challenges.
About CANY
The Correctional Association of New York (CANY) is an independent, non-profit organization with a legislative mandate to monitor and report on the conditions in New York State prisons. CANY was founded in 1844 and deputized by the state to provide monitoring and oversight of the state’s prisons in 1846, making it one of the first organizations in the country to administer civilian oversight of prisons. CANY conducts monitoring visits, publishes reports, and informs policy to improve conditions in New York State prisons.