Mid-State Correctional Facility

MID-STATE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY

Mid State Correctional Facility is located between the two cities of Rome and Utica in New York State. Before Mid State was even a prison it was a hospital for both the mentally ill and mentally handicapped. There was a so called “25 year building spree” in the prison system, when the amount of prisoners had dramatically increased*[1]. This was when Mid State opened in 1983. Mid State has grown and now includes maximum security blocks. These blocks are called "S" blocks and they consist of prisoners living in little box shaped rooms. These prisoners are let out for only 1 hour during the day and remain isolated for the remaining 23*[2]. The place where they are allowed to go outside mimics their room except for its outside and is surrounded by a fence. Even though, Mid State has a maximum security building it is still considered to only be a medium security prison. Mid State cleared the way for its neighbor, Marcy Correctional Facility located across the street, and two others the Oneida Correctional Facility and Mohawk Correctional Facility. Some of the buildings at Mid State can date back to 70 years ago.

PHASE 1

During the first phase of the prison, Mid State shared its place with a hospital that takes care of the criminally insane*[3]. The hospital was known as the Central New York Psychiatric Center. Between these two the hospital and Mid State employees had many fights due to the sharing of the buildings. In fact one night the hospital employees teed off on a nearby golf course and started shooting golf balls into the prison*[4].

PHASE 2

The second phase took place in 1986. This had increased the size of the site that the hospital and Mid State had to share. Then eventually the whole site was left to Mid State and the Central New York Psychiatric Center. Since 1983 there have been no escapes or any other troublesome incidents. In helping this case there is 87,100 feet of coiled razor sharp wire to prevent prisoners from escaping*[5].

MID-STATE TODAY

Mid State today has provided many jobs to people in New York. Mid State consists of over 1000 acres of land with buildings dating back to the 1920’s. Amongst these older buildings there are many new and improved facilities as well. The structures of the new buildings maintain the same look as the original consisting of red brick. There are two new buildings, the medical building and the "S" block, which is the only maximum security part of the prison. There is also a large recreation yard that has a racquetball court, basketball court, football field, and also a gym, which the prisoners use the most. In addition to the outdoor area there are many other things to keep up around the prison, and like a job, it is the inmate’s responsibility to take care of and maintain them all*[6]. For the good prisoners and the ones who are only in for a short time, they are taken out on a prison bus around Oneida County. They help to clean up the city and surrounding areas by picking up garbage along the sides of the roads, mowing church lawns and helping with other outdoor maintenance.

If driving to Mid State you will enter a long line of trees on both sides of the entrance road. There are also underground tunnels that were once used to transport difficult patients*[7]. They are no longer used today. Recently in the news there will be 300 dangerous sex offenders of New York transported into the Central New York Psychiatric Center and Mid State by 2008*[8] .This will then bring even more jobs to central New York.

Mid State Correctional Facility has grown tremendously over the past 23 years. As it continues to grow it may even become a maximum security prison in the future. People in the criminal justice field know how important these facilities and jobs are. They also know that this job force isn’t going anywhere anytime soon as more criminals evolve and more, intense actions are taken against them. More prisoners will come from this and not only will Mid-State thrive but other correctional facilities across the nation as well.

External links

1. (1998, November). Mid-State Correctional Facility. Retreived October 9, 2006, from http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Downs/3548/facility/midstate.html

2. (2006, September). Will Sex offenders be moving to New York. Retreived October 11, 2006, from http://www.9wsyr.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=182d5463-c4fc-4a65-bd9c-0298c86c726e&rss=112

3. New York State Department of Correctional Services. Retreived October 9, 2006, from http://www.docs.state.ny.us/