<P> The growth continued in another way through the 1980s . A huge prison construction initiative took the form of "cookie - cutter" facilities, fifteen different medium - security installations such as Washington Correctional Facility in 1985, built with the same blueprints, the same dorms and messhalls, as Franklin, Mohawk, Bare Hill, etc . Many of the 15 opened in 1988 . Two of these, Riverview and Cape Vincent, were initially funded and owned by New York City to shuttle city prisoners by air, as a way to address the city's jail overpopulation crisis . </P> <P> From its peak in 1999, at 72,649, the total state prison population had dropped to 52,237 by August 1, 2016, a decrease of 28 percent . Rapidly decreasing numbers of inmates has meant many prisons closed, with the loss of jobs in mostly rural communities, and pressure to consolidate further . </P> <P> As of 2016 New York did not contract with private prisons, according to state law . </P> <Dl> <Dd> see main List of New York state prisons </Dd> </Dl>

State of new york department of correctional services