Sharp drop in inmate population worrisome
OGDENSBURG — A sharp drop in the inmate population at Ogdensburg Correctional Facility has raised concerns among officials about the state's dispersal of inmates, new drug laws and the future of the facility that was nearly closed earlier this year.
"I'm not sure if this is just sour grapes from somebody at the Department of Corrections," said Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell, D-Theresa. "But we are looking into it."
On Dec. 31, the prison population at Ogdensburg Correctional Facility stood at 474. As of Aug. 30, that number had dropped to 313, a decline of 34 percent, according to statistics from the state Department of Correctional Services.
"Our position is, there are facilities where inmates are crammed into double bunks," said Donn Rowe, president of the New York State Correctional Officers Police Benevolent Association, the union that represents the facility's corrections officers. "We do have thousands of inmates in double-bunk situations, and empty space in Ogdensburg. It's poor management at the department."
The Ogdensburg facility can hold more than 600 inmates.
The decrease is a result, in part, of the state's efforts to close the facility earlier this year. The Department of Correctional Services started reducing the number of inmates when the closure was announced. But now, when inmates are released, they are not being replaced, and numbers continue to decline, even after the June reversal of the closure order, from 382 inmates in June to 335 inmates in July.
"I'm sure it's a temporary issue," Mayor William D. Nelson said. "I'm hopeful that the Department of Corrections transfers more inmates to Ogdensburg Correctional Facility."
Officials at the department and union representatives said the numbers reflect a dipping inmate population statewide, spurred by reforms of Rockefeller drug laws and sentencing alternatives.
The state's 36 medium-security prisons held 29,378 inmates on Dec. 31. On Aug. 30, that number had declined to 28,242.
"We have vacancies all over the state," said Linda M. Foglia, a spokeswoman for the Department of Correctional Services.
Reform laws have long been a concern for union officials.
"In my opinion, it's compromising public safety," said Michael B. Powers, a correctional officer at Ogdensburg Correctional Facility and an Ogdensburg councilman. "The department is basically flooding the cities and towns and villages of the inmate population under the premise that it's saving taxpayer money. It basically falls back to public safety."
The decline also has raised concerns about whether the facility will continue to operate in the years to come.
The prison appeared on a closure list early this year, but was spared in a June reversal. The administration of Gov. David A. Paterson has pledged not to put the facility on a closure list for the rest of the governor's term, which ends Dec. 31. Two of the candidates running for governor also have promised to keep the facility open.
"The new administration is not going to want a fight on their hands," said Randy Page, the union's northern region vice president, echoing the optimistic sentiment about the future of the facility shared by Mr. Rowe.
But some officials are worried that a declining prison population could mean the prison will find itself on a closure list again next year.
"This is an alarming rate of reduction here at Ogdensburg Correctional Facility," City Councilman Nicholas J. Vaugh said. "Just months since saving OCF it's disheartening to see this apparent back-door approach to eventually closing the facility."
Chad J. Stickney, the local sector chief for the union, said there was concern among the membership that the facility may close.
"If it is a political game, end it," Mr. Stickney said. "We've got 300 people who just went through this. We need answers about why this is going on."
