MALONE — Bare Hill Correctional Facility in Malone will close in 2026, the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision announced Tuesday.

Upon enactment of the state budget, which allowed for the closure of up to three correctional facilities, DOCCS said in a press release it conducted a thorough review of operations at its 42 correctional facilities.

DOCCS said this review was based on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, available beds, physical infrastructure, program offerings, whether they can be relocated to other institutions, facility security level, specialized medical and mental health services, locations where there are no correction officer reassignment lists, and other facilities in the area to minimize the impact to staff.

DOCCS said Bare Hill will close on March 11, 2026, at the close of business.

All 293 DOCCS staff assigned to Bare Hill will be offered positions at other facilities, and neighboring correctional facilities will be able to safely absorb the incarcerated population into vacant beds.

With over 650 vacant staff positions available in correctional facilities located in Franklin, Clinton and Essex counties, the department will be able to ensure no staff are laid off, DOCCS said in a press release. It does not anticipate any layoffs due to these closures.

DOCCS will work with the various bargaining units to provide staff with opportunities for priority placement via voluntary transfers, as well as priority employment at other facilities or other state agencies as a result of the formal civil service process that is followed with the closure of a facility.

In addition to the closure of Bare Hill Correctional Facility, DOCCS will be consolidating part of Collins Correctional Facility campus in Erie County to “more efficiently deploy staff and manage the facility.”

DOCCS said it will consolidate one side of the Collins Correctional Facility, aiming to complete the transition by the end of the fiscal year. This is part of the department’s ongoing plan to be transparent and consolidate services to ease staffing.

Bare Hill Correctional Facility will be maintained in a state of ready to include utilities — heat, water, electric, sewage, etc. — and maintenance staff to provide for infrastructure upkeep.

The Collins Correctional Facility consolidation will be similarly maintained.

The decision to close any facility is difficult for all involved, DOCCS said in a press release.

“Across the country, correctional agencies continue to struggle to meet staffing demands, and the department is no exception despite new and aggressive recruitment efforts,” the department wrote.

“The closure of one facility and consolidation of Collins Correctional Facility will help ensure the safe and efficient operation of the system, utilizing staff more effectively while operating programs in a safe manner. This decision was decisively made to minimize the effect on staff, and at the same time, attempt to close the gap on staffing shortages in our correctional facilities.”

DOCCS said it will continue to work with the labor unions to build on ongoing efforts to aggressively recruit staff, both security and civilian, and monitor the effects the closures have on department staffing and operations.