Mandate On May 9, 1846, the Prison Association of New York (which changed its name to Correctional Association of New York in 1961) was incorporated by the New York State Legislature in an effort to provide independent oversight of jails and prisons, and keep the legislature informed of “their state and condition, and all such other things in regard to them as may enable the Legislature to perfect their government and discipline” (L.1846, Ch. 163, §6). Today, CANY conducts oversight of prisons in New York state through onsite monitoring visits, confidential correspondence with people in prison, and research activities. Mission CANY provides independent oversight of prisons in New York State in order to promote transparency and accountability; safeguard the human and civil rights of incarcerated people; eliminate harmful practices and policies; and decrease the use of incarceration in New York. Vision CANY envisions a future in which our criminal justice system uses an entirely different approach to responding to violence and social concerns. In this vision, prisons look nothing like they do today: far fewer people are held for much shorter sentences in transformed conditions that promote health, safety, and justice for incarcerated individuals, communities, and society at large.
