Dec. 12, 2025 — The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) announced November 18 that Bare Hill Correctional Facility in Franklin County will close at the end of business on March 11, 2026.
Fifty-eight (58) members of the PS&T bargaining unit currently work there. DOCCS also said Collins Correctional Facility in Erie County will be consolidated by the end of the fiscal year.
DOCCS said in its statement that “all staff assigned to Bare Hill will be offered positions at other facilities” and no staff will be laid off. While there are hundreds of vacancies at nearby facilities in Clinton and Essex counties (Upstate and Franklin), a change in employment is never easy for members.
PEF met in early December with members at Bare Hill, Franklin, Upstate and Collins Correctional Facilities to make sure they understood the procedures used by DOCCS to reassign staff during times like this. At the meetings, PEF staff answered questions and assured them the union will support all members who make career transitions.
Affected members have only until December 12, 2025, to send any revisions to their ranked choice list of facilities they prefer for transfer or reassignment. Those lists must be shared via email to an address provided by DOCCS management.
Members expressed frustration about potentially longer commutes, displacement, and overnight stays.
“The state is closing facilities, at least in part, because there are not sufficient security staff to maintain safe operations,” said PEF President Wayne Spence. “New York cannot deliver needed mental health, education, addiction treatment or other services without adequate staff and the state cannot maintain appropriate staffing without enhancing the safety and security of everyone behind the walls. PEF will continue to urge policymakers to come together to identify and effectuate appropriate reforms to increase the safety and security of staff and incarcerated individuals at all DOCCS facilities.”