BUFFALO — The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) will resume intake of state-ready incarcerated individuals at its male facilities, effective today, according to Erie County Sheriff John C. Garcia.
DOCCS plans to admit approximately 75-100 state-ready individuals per week across the entire state, Garcia said.
The intake suspension, which initially took effect on Feb. 18, had been extended multiple times before coming to an end.
Currently, the Erie County Sheriff’s Office has 129 state-ready individuals in custody, with approximately 2,000 incarcerated in county-run facilities statewide.
Garcia expressed concern that the slow pace of transfers would not match the rate of new state-ready individuals being added as defendants are sentenced in coming weeks and months.
“This creates a budgetary issue for my office, as we did not anticipate DOCCS’ intake suspension when our spending plan was approved by the Erie County Legislature last year,” Garcia said.
Despite the financial challenges, Garcia stated he has instructed his Jail Management Division and Correctional Health Division to continue offering services required by law in an efficient manner.
