Lyon Mountain, NY, May 02, 2013 — What happens to prisons and correctional facilities when there aren't enough inmates to fill the jail cells?

That's the dilemma facing nearly a dozen communities in upstate New York. After a massive prison construction boom that continued for nearly four decades, the state has seen its inmate population decline steadily in recent years. The change follows a sharp decline in crime rates and changes to sentencing guidelines that mean fewer nonviolent drug offenders spending years behind bars.

Now a state agency called Empire State Development is struggling to auction off eleven former prisons and juvenile justice centers, including two facilities now for sale here in the North Country.

But many rural communities fear that another economic engine is dying with nothing to replace it.  Go to full article

Apr 18, 2013 — This week we've been looking at the fortunes of the North Country's dairy industry and some of the hurdles faced by farmers and processors.

Over the last few months, our Prison Time Media Project has also been looking at the way prisons shape communities and the local economy in the North Country.

There are more than a dozen state and Federal prisons in the region, along with eleven county jails. That makes corrections work one of our top employers.

One activist group based in Brooklyn thinks these two issues -- prison jobs and the dairy industry -- should be linked in people's minds, as we think about ways to grow the rural economy. That group's called "Milk Not Jails."  Go to full article

Apr 16, 2013 — New York state officials say the state's prison population is expected to drop again this year by nearly 800 inmates.

The Department of Corrections will close two more prisons this year, bringing to a total of nine the number of correctional facilities shut down since 2011.

Inmate populations in New York have been edging downward for more than a decade. But a report from the Justice Department suggests that for the first time in decades, fewer Americans nationwide are being sent to prison.

Surveys of state and Federal prisons nationwide show the number of inmates actually declined over the last three years - the first downward trend in a generation.  Go to full article

Malone, NY, Dec 07, 2012 — The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) filed a federal lawsuit Thursday, challenging the use of isolation cells in New York state prisons.

The suit follows a report NYCLU issued in October that claimed state officials were placing far too many inmates in solitary confinement.

The suit could have big ramifications for corrections facilities here in the North Country.  Go to full article

Watertown, NY, Oct 16, 2012 — Right now, county jails, and ultimately, local property taxpayers, are footing the bill for housing state parole violators while they wait for the state to pick them up. State Senator Patty Ritchie has proposed a solution to the problem.  Go to full article

Watertown, NY, Sep 07, 2012 — State Senator Patty Ritchie has an idea to help ease overcrowding and costs at county jails.

As WRVO's Catherine Loper reports, the issue pits New York State against local governments.  Go to full article

Albany, NY, Jan 05, 2012 — Governor Andrew Cuomo spoke only briefly about the state's correctional system during his speech yesterday. Last year, his administration mothballed seven prisons, none of them in the North Country. Cuomo called that an important accomplishment. "We closed 3800 prison beds," he said, "because we finally realized prison operation is not economic development."

But the governor didn't call for any further prisons to be closed. After the speech, state Senator Betty Little of Queensbury said she thinks further prisons closures are off the table for now. That's good news for North Country prison towns from Moriah to Ogdensburg that had faced calls for prison downsizing.  Go to full article

Dannemora, NY, Nov 08, 2011 — In the 19th century, iron mining was the main operation at the Dannemora Correctional Facility, with three main mines scattered within the structure's walls. The mines provided employment for the convicts and earned the region the nickname, "Little Siberia." Inmates also helped with prison construction and renovations. Coming up on the next Adirondack Attic, Andy Flynn and Adirondack Museum chief curator Laura Rice examine a photo taken during prison construction in the late 1800's.  Go to full article

Jul 14, 2011 — New York lawmakers have begun the process of reshaping electoral districts following last year's census. Last week, a redistricting task force announced it would ignore a law requiring prison inmates to be counted at their last known address.

That angered civil rights advocates, who argue home districts deserve credit for the prisoners, for electoral representation as well as state aid and services that depend on population. But the change worries North Country representatives whose districts have long counted prisoners where they're incarcerated.

The law passed in 2010 when Democrats controlled both legislative houses and the governor's mansion. The measure has since been challenged in court by nine Republican state senators. Betty Little of Queensbury is a plaintiff in that lawsuit. She isn't commenting on the suit, but she told Chris Morris the loss to her district would be significant, 9,000 to 10,000 people.  Go to full article

May 20, 2011 — Gov. Andrew Cuomo says it'll be several weeks before his administration decides which of the state's prisons to close.

The governor has said six prisons could be closed.

That's causing anxiety across the North Country, where state prisons pump tens of millions of dollars into hard-pressed communities. Martha Foley has more. Chris Morris contributed reporting to this story.  Go to full article