Gov. Hochul must close this abusive state prison
Now is the time for Governor Hochul to close Marcy Correctional Facility, a state prison so plagued by tragedy and dysfunction that keeping it open would cause more harm than good.
Last week, Imam Abdallah Hadian, a civilian employee who led religious services at Marcy, shot himself to death in the prison administration building. According to a statement from the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS), other employees witnessed the suicide. In its statement following the incident, the Federation of Civil Servants (PEF) referred to four suicides among PEF members working at DOCCS over the past two years.
Living and working conditions inside the Marcy Correctional Facility were largely unknown to the public before December 9, 2024, when Robert Brooks was choked and beaten to death by correctional officers in an examination room in the prison’s infirmary. The body-worn camera footage documenting his murder made national news, and to date, two of those officers have been convicted of murder.
These two horrific acts of violence will forever scar Marcy. Imagine returning to work in that building after witnessing such horrors. The events of the last year should provide sufficient justification to close the prison. But there are also other good reasons.
Two years before Brooks’ murder, the Correctional Association of New York (CANY) visited Marcy as part of its independent oversight of the state’s prisons. Incarcerated people reported widespread physical abuse by staff, and we subsequently called on the state to investigate these widespread allegations of abuse. Unfortunately, any measures that could have been taken in response proved insufficient.
When CANY returned to Marcy in July of this year, we documented miserable conditions causing exceptional distress among the 90 incarcerated people confined to the Residential Mental Health Unit (RMHU). We have documented self-inflicted wounds and other evidence of suffering in deeply troubled individuals. We observed dried feces from “throwing” incidents. A civilian advisor mentioned that it was difficult to find people willing to work at RMHU.
According to data obtained by CANY from the state Office of Mental Health, two incarcerated people committed suicide in this unit in 2024, despite frequent rounds by correctional officers. On September 8, attorneys for the mentally ill detained at RMHU in Marcy separately filed a lawsuit against DOCCS, citing “horrific” and “inhumane” conditions.
During our visit to Marcy, we spoke with employees who expressed despair that their work at the prison was “destroying” their home lives. In the week preceding our visit, eight staff members had resigned. We spoke with incarcerated people who said that while the violence endemic to the institution’s culture had diminished through the proper use of body-worn cameras, understaffing meant basic services could barely function.
Facility administrators told us that of the 322 correctional officer positions assigned to Marcy, there were 92 vacancies and 40 officers were on injury-on-duty or other leave. In fiscal year 2024, Marcy had the highest workers’ compensation incident rate among the state’s 42 correctional facilities. At the end of 2024, Marcy had the third highest unusual incident rate of all correctional facilities, and the highest among all medium security facilities.
Mid-State Correctional Facility, which is just across the street from Marcy, had 201 vacant correctional officer positions and 96 officers on leave in September; they should have 498 active agents. If Marcy closes, the 190 correctional officers who report to Marcy could be reassigned to Mid-State, easing the severe staffing shortages plaguing both facilities and providing much-needed relief to another prison that has seen its share of tragedy this year.
For officers looking for different options, Mohawk Correctional Institution, 12 miles west, had 135 vacant correctional officer positions in April. The corrections officers’ union has historically opposed prison closures as a solution to a staffing crisis, saying members would rather resign than work at a prison farther from home. In this case, being reassigned to Mid-State or Mohawk would hardly change anyone’s moves.
The state budget for fiscal year 2026 authorized the governor to close up to three prisons. In 2024, she approved the closure of Great Meadow Correctional Facility, which had gained a reputation as the most abusive prison in the state. Once again, she has the opportunity to bring closure to a place of suffering and despair. We encourage him to take it.
Scaife is executive director of Correctional New York Association.
