Violence inside New York State prisons is on the rise, and advocates say the lack of transparency is making it difficult to fully understand the crisis.
According to data from the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS), assaults on prison staff have increased by 86%, rising from 1,043 incidents in 2019 to 1,938 in 2024. Violence between incarcerated individuals has surged even more—by 113%, from 1,267 to 2,697 assaults in the same timeframe.
The Correctional Association of New York (CANY), an independent oversight group, also reports that 143 inmates died while in custody in 2024—a 34% increase from the previous year, though the cause of death for these individuals were not provided…