The New York state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision has determined that two correctional facilities in upstate can be safely closed, following through on state budget language approved earlier this year that allowed the state to close up to five prisons with 90 days' notice.

Great Meadow Correctional Facility, in Washington County, and Sullivan Correctional Facilities, in Sullivan County, will close on Nov. 6, DOCCS said Thursday.

The decision comes after a DOCCS review of the state’s 44 prisons that took into account diminished incarcerated populations; physical infrastructure; program offerings and whether inmates can be relocated to other institutions; facility security level; specialized medical and mental health services; and areas of the state where prior closures have occurred in order to minimize the impact to communities and other factors.

The state Division of Budget projected earlier this year that prison closures would save the state $77 million in the 2025 fiscal year and $128 million in the first full year they are implemented.

DOCCS said the decision to close only two facilities was purposefully made to minimize the effect on staff, and at the same time attempt to close the gap on staffing shortages. All DOCCS staff will be offered positions at other facilities with no layoffs expected. The department will work closely with the various bargaining units to provide staff with opportunities for priority placement via voluntary transfers, as well as priority employment at other facilities or other state agencies.

DOCCS said they will be able to safely absorb the incarcerated population into vacant beds available at other institutions. Great Meadow has a current staff of 559, with 480 incarcerated individuals and a capacity of 1,595; Sullivan Correctional Facility has a current staff of 371, with 426 incarcerated individuals and a capacity of 560, according to DOCCS.

At this time, the total incarcerated population in state correctional facilities is 33,419, a more than a 54% decline since the department’s high of 72,773 in 1999. In addition, New York has one of the lowest imprisonment rates of any large state in the nation, DOCCS said.

The move to close prisons has been opposed by many Republican members of the New York Legislature.

"It’s disappointing that DOCCS has decided to move ahead and close two upstate prisons with just over 90 days notice. Our conference stood in opposition to the prison closures included in this year’s budget, particularly with such inadequate notice for the communities and employees," state Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt said in a statement. "Prison closures have a ripple effect — they have a negative economic impact on their host communities, a negative impact on staff who must be moved around, and can lead to overcrowding that will further endanger the brave men and women who work in the prisons."