Monitoring Visit to Fishkill Correctional Facility (July 8-9, 2020)

Preliminary Findings Presented to the New York State Legislature

Correctional Association of New York
July 18, 2020

Monitoring Visit Overview

 The Correctional Association of New York (CANY) conducted a two-day monitoring visit to
Fishkill Correctional Facility July 8 and 9, 2020. CANY identified Fishkill as an important site for
monitoring because five incarcerated people have died of COVID-19 at Fishkill – the highest
number of deaths attributable to COVID-19 at any single prison in New York to date.
 CANY is the only nongovernmental agency that has had access to prisons since the start of the
pandemic. Six CANY representatives conducted brief one-on-one interviews with 162
incarcerated people throughout the prison in general population housing units, the Special
Housing Unit (SHU), and the residential mental health unit. In addition, CANY walked through
the Unit for the Cognitively Impaired (UCI), where 22 elderly individuals who have developed
dementia during their incarceration are housed. CANY also held meetings with DOCCS Central
Office staff and Fishkill executive staff, the Inmate Liaison Committee (ILC), and the Inmate
Grievance Resolution Committee (IGRC).

Testing at Fishkill
 DOCCS had administered 252 COVID-19 tests at Fishkill as of July 9, 2020. Assuming that each
test represents one person tested, DOCCS had tested 17% of the total number of people
(n=1,431 on July 8, 2020) incarcerated at Fishkill.
o These test numbers represent cumulative totals since the beginning of the pandemic.
DOCCS does not report dates of tests, instead presenting point in time snapshots of
positive, pending, and negative tests by facility.

 As of July 9, 2020,1 86 of 252 or 34% of COVID-19 tests administered to incarcerated people at

Fishkill had come back positive.
o According to the World Health Organization, governments should maintain rates of
positivity in testing at 5% or lower for 14 days in order to consider reopening. On July
17, 2020, the positivity rate for New York State as a whole was 1.16%.2
o According to DOCCS, the agency is in the process of expanding testing to asymptomatic
incarcerated individuals 55 and older, along with those who are displaying symptoms,
those who are quarantined, pregnant, in medical units, and living in “senior dorms.” This
policy of newly expanded testing represents a significant step toward managing the
spread of the disease and should be accelerated.

 Of the 162 people CANY interviewed, 30 (18.5%) responded that they had been tested, which
appears to be in line with the reported testing rate.
o However, several individuals we spoke to seemed to believe that they had been tested
when, our interviews revealed, they had only been screened using a non-contact
temperature screening device. Due to variations in interview methods, it is likely that
fewer than 30 of the people we interviewed had actually received a nasal swab test for
COVID-19.

 Recommendations Related to Testing:

o CANY recommends that DOCCS immediately implement and sustain a practice of
comprehensive testing in the weeks to come in order to develop a baseline
understanding of actual rates of positivity in New York prisons.

1
https://doccs.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2020/07/doccs-covid-19-confirmed-by-facility-7.10.2020.pdf
2
https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/testing/testing-positivity
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Monitoring Visit to Fishkill Correctional Facility (July 8-9, 2020)
Preliminary Findings Presented to the New York State Legislature
Correctional Association of New York
July 18, 2020

o CANY further recommends that DOCCS provide additional detail about test results on the
COVID-19 section of its website, including differentiating between number of tests
administered and number of individuals tested, listing test results by date, listing
demographic data for incarcerated individuals infected with COVID-19, and breaking out
employee infection data by facility.
o Finally, CANY recommends that DOCCS provide incarcerated people their COVID-19 test
results. CANY representatives spoke with one individual had to file a FOIL request to
receive a copy of his test results, which indicated that he had tested positive.

Quarantine and Medical Isolation

 At the time of our monitoring visit, DOCCS was using half of the “S-Block” – a 200-cell unit
typically used for people serving solitary confinement or SHU terms – for quarantine and contact
tracing. On July 8, there were 23 people quarantined in S-Block and six were quarantined in two
other areas of the prison.
o Several individuals mentioned that they believed they had been infected with COVID-19
but had not sought care. When asked why they had not sought medical attention, some
reported that the prospect of being transferred to the S-Block provided a disincentive,
because it is typically where individuals are sent for punishment. Unlike individuals
serving a SHU term, individuals housing in the S-Block for quarantine retain their
personal property and their phone privileges.

 DOCCS describes the process of identifying cases of COVID-19 as follows:

o “Our process identifies patients who are ill and require special monitoring and care and
isolates those who create the greatest risk of transmission to others. Asymptomatic
patients who wear a mask and follow social distancing and hand hygiene guidelines
have minimal risk to others. A nurse will swab the individual and that swab is then sent
to an authorized lab. As we await the results, the individual is isolated. If an individual’s
test result is positive that person is maintained in isolation for a minimum of 14 days.”3

 CANY representatives spoke to individuals who described a variety of processes that both mirror
and depart from the guidelines cited above. Many of these first-hand accounts referred to much
earlier stages of the pandemic, particularly during the months of March and April.
o Some individuals described being housed on entire units that were quarantined or
locked down; others described being housed on a unit in which one person was taken to
be quarantined elsewhere and the unit itself was not quarantined. Others reported
having self-quarantined in their housing area when they experienced symptoms.

 Recommendations Related to Quarantine and Medical Isolation:

o CANY recommends that DOCCS eliminate disincentives to seeking medical attention for
symptoms related to COVID-19.

Face Masks and Hand Sanitizer

 A majority – 109 or 71%4 – of individuals CANY interviewed reported having access to masks or
hand sanitizer, though the vast majority of incarcerated individuals CANY representatives
observed and interviewed were not wearing masks.

3
https://doccs.ny.gov/doccs-covid-19-report
4
In some cases, responses were not recorded for every interview question. Throughout this report, the percent corresponds to
the total number of responses to the given question.
2
Monitoring Visit to Fishkill Correctional Facility (July 8-9, 2020)
Preliminary Findings Presented to the New York State Legislature
Correctional Association of New York
July 18, 2020

o According to DOCCS, incarcerated individuals are not required to wear a mask unless
their work/program assignment requires it (e.g., handling food in the mess hall or
working in medical areas of the prison). Individuals housed in SHU are only given a mask
if they are brought out of the cell.
o On July 8, DOCCS staff distributed two new surgical masks to many of the incarcerated
people we interviewed. Some of these individuals stated that prior to this distribution of
surgical masks, they had not received new masks since the distribution of fabric masks
donated by the New York Coalition of Higher Education in Prison (NYCHEP) in May.

 The availability of hand sanitizer appeared to vary depending on area of the prison and
interpersonal dynamics between incarcerated individuals and staff.
o CANY representatives heard reports that hand sanitizer is not available in SHU, on
certain recreation yards, or unless moving between areas of the prison.
o Some individuals reported that hand sanitizer is only available upon request and at the
discretion of a corrections officer.

 DOCCS requires staff to wear face masks while on duty. Ninety-seven incarcerated individuals
(64.2% of those interviewed) reported that DOCCS staff routinely wear a mask.
o CANY representatives observed that most staff did wear masks, though there were a
few exceptions, particularly among staff who were working or walking outside. Some
staff wore masks below the nose and chin and adjusted the mask when we approached.
o A few incarcerated individuals noted that, similar to the broader society, mask wearing
among staff seems to be a matter of politics.

 Many incarcerated individuals did not seem to have access to proper education on the risks of
COVID-19 and how best to take care of themselves during the pandemic.
o Some individuals noted the lack of proper educational materials, including signs,
demonstrations, and tutorials, and seemed unaware of basic public health information
such as the signs and symptoms of COVID-19, how to properly wear a surgical mask, the
difference between testing and temperature screening, and the difference between
disposable and reusable masks.

 Recommendations Related to Face Masks and Hand Sanitizer:

o CANY recommends that DOCCS supply new disposable/surgical masks to incarcerated
individuals in all areas of the prison upon request and at least once per week.
o CANY further recommends that DOCCS provide updated and ongoing education about
the importance of mask wearing to both incarcerated individuals and staff.

Services and Programming

 Nearly all (97%) of the incarcerated individuals interviewed reported receiving three free phone
calls per week, and many individuals cited satisfaction with the use of tablets for secure
messaging and accessing other content, both free and paid.
o DOCCS had previously reported that the free phone calls were 30 minutes in duration,
but the individuals we interviewed reported that the calls are limited to 15 minutes,
which is corroborated by information on the DOCCS website.

 DOCCS reported having resumed most in-person programming.

o Substance use treatment (ASAT), cognitive behavioral treatment (ART), and sex offender
treatment (SOP) programming has resumed. Programs offered by the Office of Mental

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Monitoring Visit to Fishkill Correctional Facility (July 8-9, 2020)
Preliminary Findings Presented to the New York State Legislature
Correctional Association of New York
July 18, 2020

Health have also resumed. Educational and vocational programs are closed for the
summer break.
o DOCCS reported having held a successful Puppies Behind Bars team training with law
enforcement via teleconference and also reported working with other service providers,
including Rehabilitation through the Arts and the Osborne Association, to deliver
program content remotely. DOCCS is exploring resuming college programming in the fall
via teleconference or WebEx.

 Recommendations Related to Programming:

o CANY recommends that DOCCS continue to explore creative solutions for maintaining
programming throughout the pandemic, including remote college programs.
o CANY further recommends that DOCCS negotiate additional free services and content
through its contract with JPay/Securus.

Social Distancing and the Need for Decarceration

 Half (50%) of the incarcerated people CANY representatives interviewed said that they felt
unable to maintain social distance in prison.
o This perception is corroborated by a wide variety of literature including scientific
research and whitepapers by medical experts, including as follows: “Prisons are
epicentres for infectious diseases because of the higher background prevalence of
infection, the higher levels of risk factors for infection, the unavoidable close contact in
often overcrowded, poorly ventilated, and unsanitary facilities, and the poor access to
healthcare services relative to that in community settings.”5
o Individuals CANY representatives spoke to cited the mess hall in particular as a venue
that precludes appropriate social distancing, even with staggered seating and wall
markings that suggest maintaining six feet of distance. Indoor dining in restaurants has
been prohibited in New York City for related reasons.

 A number of individuals CANY representatives spoke to expressed frustration and fear in

response to the scarcity of early release opportunities and lack of consideration for clemency.
o CANY representatives interviewed a number of individuals (n=21, or 13% of interview
sample) who had been incarcerated for more than 20 years, including one individual
who has been in prison since 1972.
o As one scholar puts it, “Choosing not to decarcerate is a policy decision that actively
facilitates high rates of new COVID-19 infections, and ultimately deaths, among an
already vulnerable and marginalized population. By choosing confinement, policy
makers are exposing incarcerated people to much higher odds of COVID-19 infection.”6

 Recommendations Related to Social Distancing and Decarceration:

o CANY recommends that DOCCS continue to modify facility operations to accommodate
the need for social distancing in mess halls, housing areas, program spaces, and
recreation yards.
o CANY further recommends that all avenues for decarceration – pretrial release,
alternative sentencing, early release, medical parole, parole board release, commutation
– be fully explored and acted upon by the Governor, the Legislature, the Judiciary, the
Board of Parole, and DOCCS. The only way to ensure social distancing in prison is to
reduce the number of people incarcerated.

5
https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lanpub/PIIS2468-2667(20)30058-X.pdf
6
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1090198120927318
4