The Gowanda Correctional Facility in Erie County is slated to close over the next 90 days. A representative for the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association says some 511 corrections officers and sergeants will be affected by the closing, as will civilian employees.
A group of state legislators is gathering later today at the facility to protest the shutdown.
Also set for closing are the Watertown Correctional Facility, and the Clinton Annex at Dannemora in northern New York.
A measure to allow the governor to close prisons with 90 days notice was part of the state's 2020-2021 budget. At this point, there has been no official word from the state on the closings. Previously, a year's notice was required by the state's prison agency to close a facility. Cuomo introduced the policy change after noting that the state's prison population had fallen by thousands since late 1999.
