Orange County hosts SUNY New Paltz’s CRREO Study on Jail Consolidation

Counties in Hudson Valley may benefit from working together

NEW PALTZ –Orange County Executive Edward A. Diana today hosted researchers from SUNY New Paltz’s Center for Research, Regional Education and Outreach (CRREO) as they announced their findings at the County’s Emergency Services Center in Goshen from a study they authored called “A Collaborative Approach to County Jailing in the Hudson Valley: Investigating the Potential for Collaboration amongst the County Jails in Columbia, Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Sullivan and Ulster Counties.”

“In these trying economic times, I believe it’s more important now than ever to look at ways where we as a County may continue to provide excellent services to our residents, while being mindful to the taxpayer who is paying the bill,” said County Executive Diana. “This study allows us to do just that, keep an open mind on how to operate in the future”

This research by Gerald Benjamin, CRREO Director and Associate Vice President for Regional Engagement, and Joshua Simons, CRREO Research Associate, was spearheaded by Orange County, in a joint collaboration with Ulster and Sullivan Counties, with representatives from Putnam, Rockland, Dutchess and Columbia Counties participating. Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress served as a project partner with CRREO, while the New York State Department of State funded the study through their Local Government Efficiency Grant Program.

Benjamin and Simons discussed their findings from the study, providing suggestions on how counties in the Hudson Valley may benefit by working together, ultimately reducing jails costs.

“We are grateful for the advice and support given this study by county leaders and jail administrators from across the Hudson Valley. We are especially grateful for the leadership for this process provided by the Office of the Orange County Executive and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department,” said Benjamin. “We hope to work with the counties to advance the ideas we’ve identified to achieve greater efficiency in the use of jails through inter-county and county-state collaboration and also opportunities to reduce costs while assuring justice through reforms elsewhere in the criminal justice systems in the Hudson Valley.”

“This report is a first step in determining baselines of the multiple governmental entities involved, and implies the multiple challenges that are faced when attempting to affect a measure of sharing or consolidation,” said Orange County Sheriff Carl E. DuBois. “Many of the recommendations contained in this report were initiated by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and are currently operational.”

CRREO conducts and publicizes research on regional topics; creation/direction of select institutes that focus on specific topics of regional interest; outreach to local governments, non-profits and for-profit organizations to initiate reforms and enhancements to best service their constituents; work to foster community collaboration.

Please visit http://www.newpaltz.edu/crreo/jail_study_final_report.pdf to read the final report in its entirety.

For more information on CRREO, please visit http://www.newpaltz.edu/crreo.