ALBANY - The New York State Department of Correctional Services Thursday announced a plan to improve the efficiency of its operations without impacting public safety or security. The plan will achieve savings of $81.6 million and was put forward in response to Governor David Paterson’s call for all state agencies to closely scrutinize their operations and reduce spending by 3.35 percent in a difficult fiscal environment to help ensure a balanced state budget. 

Commissioner of Correctional Services Brian Fischer announced dormitory consolidations at 17 medium and minimum security correctional facilities and a reduction of inmate community crews in addition to other efficiencies already in place that will allow the Department to reach the 3.35 percent savings goal and achieve a portion of the additional seven percent reduction the Governor called for on July 30. The Commissioner said further efficiencies will be detailed in the coming months.

In total, the initiatives announced anticipate a reduction of about one percent of the Department’s correction officer positions - approximately 200 out of more than 19,600 - to be achieved through attrition and redeployment. The inmate population has declined by more than 14 percent, from a high of 71,538 plus another 875 at the DOCS-operated Willard Drug Treatment Campus on Dec. 12, 1999, to 61,339 and another 790 at Willard today.

The plan also calls for delaying the hiring of civilian and security staff for specialized mental health treatment units at Green Haven and Marcy Correctional Facilities pending completion of construction and eliminating unfilled security positions for transporting inmates to court as required under the Sex Offender Management and Treatment Act to reflect reductions in current needs and projected inmate population.