New York state has pulled the plug on plans for construction of a new 3,000-plus bed correctional facility.
The state Office of General Services, on behalf of the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS), posted a request online Friday for design and construction of a new prison at a non-specified location. But that was removed Monday, with the site stating only there are no design opportunities for the project.
“DOCCS has withdrawn the recently issued Request for Qualifications (RFQ) regarding the modernization of the prison system to further refine the scope and strategic focus of this initiative,” the agency said in a statement.
That marked a quick reversal from Friday, when a DOCCS spokesperson had said, “Beyond infrastructure, new facilities present an opportunity to elevate the work of our security and civilian professionals and drive meaningful culture change across the system.”
The withdrawn RFQ comes after sharp criticism from state Assemblyman Michael Cashman, a Democrat whose district includes Franklin County, where the recently closed Bare Hill Correctional Facility was located.
“We don’t have enough staff to fill our current needs. We have many closed and standby-status facilities throughout the state that could reopen rather than wasting a projected nearly one billion dollars on a brand new facility,” Cashman said. “We still have National Guard members in facilities because the state cannot fill correction officer roles. We still have widespread safety concerns and hazardous work conditions for the correction officers and civilians within the active facilities. This is where investment needs to be made.”