Albany, NY – The state agency in charge of the oversight and inspection of 561 state and local correctional
facilities and jails across New York is not tracking or analyzing incidents according to an audit released by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. Auditors also found the State Commission of Correction is not routinely inspecting the state’s 54 prisons. “The State Commission of Correction is not adequately monitoring what’s happening in our prisons,” DiNapoli said. “The commission needs to improve its tracking of data and to identify patterns or trends that merit attention to protect the rights and safety of inmates and correctional staff. The new data system it is building falls far short of helping them identify problems and needs to be addressed. Commission officials say they plan to improve their agency’s performance, and they must given the Executive’s proposal to improve the safety of New York’s correctional facilities.”
The commission is also responsible for responding timely to inmate complaints and grievances, which often relate to issues of safety and operating conditions and medical care at state and local facilities. Over the three year period examined, the number of complaints received increased 16 percent to 2,316 in 2016, and grievances increased 69 percent to 2,932.
