The leaders of the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association accuse New York state of misrepresenting the staffing situation at Great Meadow Correctional Facility.

It’s the first time since the state announced it’s closing Great Meadow that NewsChannel 13 is hearing from the union representing corrections officers.

The union president and executive vice president told NewsChannel 13’s Mark Mulholland that staffing at Great Meadow is not an issue.

Department of Corrections and Community Supervision numbers show Great Meadow is among the best staffed in the state, they said, and just seven facilities out of 44 are better.

The correction officer-to-inmate ratio at Great Meadow – 475 correction officers to 434 inmates – is because the prison in Fort Ann has some unique programs with more inmates that have disciplinary or mental health issues, which require one-on-one, or even two-on-one supervision.

Hear what the union is saying about the state insisting that New York’s inmate population is declining, by watching the video of Mark Mulholland’s story.