The Wallkill Correctional Facility is a medium security prison in New York state in the United States. The prison is located just north of the hamlet of Wallkill, in the Town of Shawangunk.
 | |
| Location | 50 Mc Kendrick Road Wallkill, New York |
|---|---|
| Status | operational |
| Security class | medium |
| Capacity | 606 |
| Opened | 1933 |
| Managed by | New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision |
History
editThe prison opened in 1933, in the form of a collegiate campus with no surrounding wall or fence. The architect was Alfred Hopkins, an east-coast estate architect with a sideline in prisons such as Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary in Pennsylvania. Connected three-story English Gothic buildings of gray stone "self-consciously embraced an idealistic notion of the rural idyll and an old-fashioned sense of place".[1] Hopkins also designed Woodbourne Correctional Facility and Coxsackie Correctional Facility for the state.
Inmate population
editWallkill was once only used to house "Good Behavior/White Collar" inmates. Due to changing times, the inmate population has changed and first-time offenders now begin and end their sentences at Wallkill CF. The one-time "Prison without a Wall," is no more—in the 21st century chain-link fencing and razor wire was constructed around the perimeter.
On-premise activities
editThe facility has a long-running optical laboratory to grind lenses and produce eyeglasses. Inmates may also learn to serve retired racehorses through the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation's Second Chances program.[2][3]
Wallkill's grounds contain the historic Walstein Childs House, circa 1763. The state's Shawangunk Correctional Facility is also nearby.
References
edit- ^ Joseph F., Spillane (9 May 2014). Coxsackie: The Life and Death of Prison Reform. JHU Press. p. 48. ISBN 9781421413228. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
- ^ It Started at Wallkill
- ^ Wulfhorst, Ellen (Jun 18, 2014). "Racehorses teach New York inmates unexpected lessons 30 years on". Reuters. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
External links
edit- N.Y. prison information
- 2003 New York Times article about the horse-care program
- correctionhistory.org historical essay on Wallkill
41°37′41″N 74°09′48″W / 41.62806°N 74.16333°W
 | This article about a building or structure in New York is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This article about a United States prison is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |