# Mid-State Correctional Facility

Mid-State Correctional Facility is located in the town of Marcy, between the cities of Rome and Utica in New York State. From about 1912 through 1982 the state ran a state asylum on these grounds. That institution would grow to hold 3,000 patients. Mid-State opened as a correctional institution, in the extensive former hospital buildings, in 1983.
Mid-State has grown and now includes maximum security SHU-200, opened in 1998. These blocks are called "S" blocks, and consist of prisoners living in cells with bunk beds. These prisoners are let out into their porches for several hours, numerous times throughout every day. The place where they are allowed to go outside mimics their room except that it is outside, and surrounded by a fence. Even though Mid-State has a maximum security building it is still classified as a medium security prison. Mid-State cleared the way for its neighbor, Marcy Correctional Facility, located across the street, and two others, the Oneida Correctional Facility, closed about 2011, and Mohawk Correctional Facility.
In March 2025, 15 Mid-State staffers were placed on leave following the death of an inmate. This came shortly after the killing of Robert Brooks at neighboring Marcy Correctional.

## Phase One

During the first phase of the prison, Mid-State shared its place with a hospital that took care of the criminally insane. The hospital was known as the Central New York Psychiatric Center.

## Phase Two

The second phase took place in 1986. This increased the size of the site that the hospital and Mid-State had to share. Eventually the whole site was left to Mid-State and the Central New York Psychiatric Center. Since 1983 there have not been any escapes or other troublesome incidents. There are 87,100 feet (26,500 m) of coiled razor sharp wire to prevent prisoners from escaping.

## Notable prisoners

| Inmate Name | Register Number | Status | Details |
| Colin Ferguson | C39361 | Serving a life sentence. | Perpetrator of the 1993 Long Island Rail Road shooting in which he murdered 6 people on a passenger train. |
| Gerald Garson | | Served a 3.5-10 year sentence, paroled in 2009 | Former New York Supreme Court Justice, convicted of accepting bribes |
| Cormega | | | Hip-hop artist |
| Prodigy | | Served 3 years | Hip-hop artist convicted of criminal possession of a weapon |
| Dennis Kozlowski | | Served a 6 1/2 year sentence | Former CEO of Tyco International |
| Alan Hevesi | | Paroled after serving 20 months | Former Comptroller of the State of New York, convicted of taking bribes in return for investing in firms for the New York State Retirement Fund |
| Ja Rule | | Served an 8 month sentence | Rapper and actor that has sold over 40 million records worldwide. In July 2007, Ja Rule was arrested for gun and drug possession charges. |

## Footnotes

* ↑ "2020 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Marcy town, NY" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. p. 2 (PDF p. 3/3). Retrieved 2024-12-31. Mid-State Correctional Facilty
* ↑ "New maximum-security modular unit opens at Mid-State Correctional Facility". NYS Department of Correctional Services press release. Archived from the original on 21 September 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
* ↑ "15 prison staffers placed on leave after the death of a man incarcerated in New York". WRVO Public Media. Associated Press. 2025-03-05. Archived from the original on 2025-03-05. Retrieved 2025-03-05.
* ↑ New York State Department of Correctional Services
* ↑ Goldman, John J. (1995-02-19). "Suspect Convicted of Killing 6 on Train : New York: Cheers erupt in courtroom packed with victims of Long Island Rail Road shootings and their relatives. Colin Ferguson, who conducted own defense in a bizarre trial, faces a possible maximum life sentence". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
* ↑ "The 5:33 - Legacy of the LIRR Massacre". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
* ↑ "Remembering the LIRR massacre and the victims 30 years later". ABC7 New York. 2023-12-07. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
* ↑ Daniel Wise (August 20, 2009). "Early Parole Given to Former N.Y. Justice Convicted of Bribery". Law.com. Archived from the original on March 20, 2022. Retrieved July 23, 2010.
* ↑ "Cormega: "When It Comes to Art, What Kind of Artist Are You?"". jacobin.com. Archived from the original on 2024-08-09. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
* ↑ Madden, Sidney (2016-03-07). "Prodigy Gets Released From Prison Eight Years Ago Today - XXL". XXL Mag. Archived from the original on 2024-08-09. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
* ↑ Riley, Charles. "Ex-Tyco CEO Dennis Kozlowski denied parole". CNNMoney. Archived from the original on 2024-09-15. Retrieved 2024-08-09.
* ↑ Karlin, Rick (November 15, 2012). "Home for the holidays for Hevesi in pay-to-play pension case". Times Union.