Correctional Association of New York (CANY) Dashboard Update Shows Surge in Prison Staff Vacancies Following Unlawful Strike
**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**
September 15, 2025
Contact: media@correctionalassociation.org
North Country and Western New York See Most Acute Staffing Shortages
Brooklyn, NY - Today the Correctional Association of New York (CANY) updated its data transparency dashboard, displaying a significant increase in staff vacancies within the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) following an unlawful correctional officers' strike in early 2025.
The updated data, reflecting staffing levels as of April 2025, shows that the systemwide staff vacancy rate more than doubled in just over a year, rising from 13.3% at the beginning of 2024 to 27.4% as of April 2025. The increase was largely driven by a sharp rise in vacant security staff positions. To address its workforce shortage, DOCCS has launched a new recruitment initiative. Since the strike, the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) reports that correction officer exam participation has risen by 160% and hiring by 62%. Additionally, more than 740 terminated employees have been reinstated.
Key findings from the April 2025 staffing data include:
A significant increase in vacancies: The overall staff vacancy rate rose from 13.3% in January 2024 to 27.4% in April 2025.
Security staff most affected: 31.8% of security staff positions were vacant by April 2025, a major increase from the 11% security staff vacancy rate reported in January 2024.
Persistent shortages in other key services: While security staffing saw the largest change, significant vacancies continued to affect other critical areas, in spite of modest improvement from 2024:
Health services: 23.1% in 2025 (compared to 25.1% in 2024)
Program staff: 13.9% in 2025 (compared to 16.2% in 2024)
Support/Administrative staff: 18.1% in 2025 (compared to 18.6% in 2024)
Extreme shortages at individual facilities: The highest vacancy rates were concentrated at specific prisons, with the top five facilities reporting over 50% of security positions vacant: Upstate (66.6%), Lakeview (57.4%), Cayuga (56.5%), Bare Hill (54.8%), and Collins (54.7%).
"The staffing numbers from April 2025 show how the wildcat strike and its aftermath have pushed an already strained system deeper into crisis," said Jennifer Scaife, Executive Director of the Correctional Association of New York. "The data highlights the urgent need for strategic, long-term solutions to the challenge of staffing prisons in New York."
This update adds to the dashboard's existing data on incarcerated individuals under custody, deaths in custody, and unusual incidents, offering a more comprehensive view of the state's prisons. CANY remains dedicated to expanding the dashboard with additional datasets throughout the year, including enrollment and completion data on academic, vocational, and mandated rehabilitative programs.
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.
