Does New York Have SuperMax Prisons?

Are there any supermax prisons located in New York State? There are currently 13 maximum security prisons across NY. These prisons hold the prisoners that have committed crimes like murder, rape, and other violent crimes.

READ MORE: How Often Do Prisoners Escape From New York State Prisons?

What Is A SuperMax Prison?

A supermax prison is a maximum security prison on steroids. According to Wikipedia, a supermax prison can be a stand-alone unit or part of another facility. The prisoners housed in supermax prisons are violent, disruptive, or pose some potential or realized threat. Inmates in supermax facilities can spend up to 23 hours per day in solitary confinement. Their stay at a supermax prison can be indefinite and they may have very limited communication with the outside world. Incarcerated individuals are usually placed in supermax prisons due to their behavior or the threat they pose at the facility where they were previously serving their time.

READ MORE: Prisons In New York Are Becoming More Violent

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On March 18, 2021, New York State passed the HALT or Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement Act. This act prevents incarcerated individuals from being held in solitary confinement for longer than 15 days. We recently witnessed the abuse of an incarcerated individual, Robert Brooks. He was violently beaten by corrections officers at the Marcy Correctional Facility in upstate New York and died after the beating.

The deadly incident exposes the corruption and abuse that may be inflicted in inmates by corrections staff. The HALT Act is supposed to stop rogue corrections officers from using segregated confinement to torture inmates they may have a personal issue with or misuse it in any other way.

Are There Any SuperMax Prisons In New York State?

New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision publishes a semi-annual report that details how many inmates were held in segregated confinement. For the six months from May to October of 2024, here are the numbers (including both male and female inmates):

READ MORE: How Often Do Prisoners Escape From New York State Prisons?

May 2024 - 249 prisoners
June 2024 - 250 prisoners
July 2024 - 370 prisoners
August 2024 - 314 prisoners
September 2024 - 263 prisoners
October 2024 - 267 prisoners

READ MORE: 6 Prisons Have The Most Elderly Inmates In New York

Southport Correctional Facility was a supermax prison in New York. The now-closed facility was located in the Southern Tier at 236 Bob Masia Drive Pine City, New York. The prison opened on October 11, 1988, and was closed on March 10, 2022. There were 350 Special Housing Units (SHUs) at the facility to hold inmates in solitary confinement. Southport was the scene of a riot that involved 250 inmates on June 26, 1990. Eight prisoners and 19 staff were injured. On May 28, 1991, four employees of the prison were taken hostage.

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Upstate Correctional Facility is a supermax prison for men. It is located at 309 Bare Hill Road Malone, New York in Franklin County. In 1998 it was established as a supermax facility to house the worst of the worst inmates.

READ MORE: 7 Prisons In New York With The Most Murderers

Five Points Correctional Facility is another supermax facility in New York State. It is located on State Route 96 in Romulus, New York. The prison was built in 2000 and has a Special Housing Unit that can house 50 inmates in disciplinary confinement.

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