Sullivan Correctional Facility
Encyclopedia
Fallsburg, New York
Fallsburg is a town in Sullivan County, New York, United States. The town is in the eastern part of the county. The population was 12,234 at the 2000 census. The town takes its name from a waterfall on the Neversink River...
. It is operated by the New York State Department of Correctional Services. It is a maximum security prison for male inmates.
Sullivan Correctional Facility is located on an 850 acre (3.4 km²) stretch of land that also contains Woodbourne Correctional Facility
Woodbourne Correctional Facility
Woodbourne Correctional Facility is a medium security men's prison operated by the New York State Department of Correctional Services in Woodbourne, New York of Sullivan County...
, a medium-security prison. The state appropriated funding for Sullivan after the loss of Rikers Island
Rikers Island
Rikers Island is New York City's main jail complex, as well as the name of the island on which it sits, in the East River between Queens and the mainland Bronx, adjacent to the runways of LaGuardia Airport. The island itself is part of the borough of the Bronx, though it is included as part of...
as a state facility in 1980 (the facility was returned to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
). The buildings were built on a sharp upslope overlooking the Neversink River
Neversink River
The Neversink River is a tributary of the Delaware River in southeastern New York in the United States...
valley.
In order to build access roads to the prison, the New York State Department of Correctional Services
New York State Department of Correctional Services
The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision or NYSDOCCS is the agency of New York State responsible for the care, confinement, and rehabilitation of approximately 63,000 inmates at 71 correctional facilities funded by the State of New York. The department employs...
purchased the Liebowitz Pine View Hotel, the 62 acre (0.25 km²) adjoining property, in 1983. Originally, some prisoners from the Woodburne facility were transferred and housed in the hotel buildings, which were operated as a Woodburne annex until the completion of Sullivan in 1985. It operated as a minimum security Sullivan annex until 2010 when the annex portion was closed.
Sullivan Correctional currently houses between 560 and 580 inmates in four pods, arranged in a circle. Eighty-six percent of those inmates are being incarcerated for committing violent felonies, and 60% are serving life sentences.
Notable Inmates
Among the more infamous inmates at Sullivan are:- David BerkowitzDavid BerkowitzDavid Richard Berkowitz , also known as Son of Sam and the .44 Caliber Killer, is an American serial killer and arsonist whose crimes terrorized New York City from July 1976 until his arrest in August 1977.Shortly after his arrest in August 1977, Berkowitz confessed to killing six people and...
, the "Son of Sam" serial killerSerial killerA serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
who terrorized New York City in 1977 - currently serving a life sentence. - Arthur ShawcrossArthur ShawcrossArthur John Shawcross was an American serial killer, also known as The Genesee River Killer in Rochester, New York...
, the Genesee RiverGenesee RiverThe Genesee River is a North American river flowing northward through the Twin Tiers of Pennsylvania and New York. The river provided the original power for the Rochester area's 19th century mills and still provides hydroelectric power for downtown Rochester....
Killer (died November 10, 2008). - Joe "Mad Dog" Sullivan, mob hitman