Overview
The Freedom of Information Law (“FOIL”), Article 6 (Sections 84-90) of the NYS Public Officers Law, provides the public right to access to records maintained by government agencies with certain exceptions. “Record” means any information kept, held, filed, produced or reproduced by, with, or for this agency, in any physical form whatsoever including, but not limited to, reports, statements, examinations, memoranda, opinions, folders, files, books, manuals, pamphlets, forms, papers, designs, drawings, maps, photos, letters, microfilms, computer tapes or disks, rules, regulations or codes.
Learn more about records access and Open FOIL NY.
Request Records
Mail a written request to:
Records Access Officer
NYS Commission of Correction
Alfred E. Smith State Office Building
80 South Swan Street, 12th Floor
Albany, New York 12210
Fax a written request to:
(518) 485-2467
Submit a request for records in person:
Records are available for public inspection and copying at the offices of the New York State Commission of Correction, Alfred E. Smith State Office Building 80 South Swan Street, 12th Floor Albany, NY 12210.
Request for public access to records of the Commission are accepted, and available records produced on any business day between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
FOIL Process
Within five business days of the receipt of a written request for a record reasonably described, we will send you a letter either: making such record available; denying such request in writing; or furnishing a written acknowledgment of the receipt of such request. If you have not received a letter within five business days, please contact us at (518) 485-2346.
An acknowledgment letter will provide you with an estimate of when the records you request will be available, which shall be reasonable under the circumstances of the request. This date is determined by the number of documents you request, their format, their availability, the time it takes to redact any information that cannot be disclosed pursuant to FOIL, the time it takes to assemble the documents, and other factors.
If the records you request require a fee to be paid, you will be notified prior to the records being released to you. Unless a different fee is otherwise prescribed by statute, Public Officers Law §87(1) authorizes an agency to charge a fee of 25¢ per copy for copies of records up 9”x 14”, or the actual cost of reproducing a record. In determining the actual cost of producing a record, an agency may include only:
- an amount equal to the hourly salary attributed to the lowest paid agency employee who has the necessary skill required to prepare the requested record(s), if at least two hours of agency employee time is needed to prepare a copy of the record(s) requested;
- the actual cost of the storage devices or media provided to the person making the request in complying with such request; and
- the actual cost to the agency of engaging an outside professional service to prepare a copy of a record, but only when an agency's information technology equipment is inadequate to prepare a copy, if such service is used to prepare the copy.
Once the requested records are prepared, you may receive the records via email, fax, paper, CD/DVD, or USB. Records are available for inspection, by appointment, on business days between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm at the Records Access Office, New York State Commission of Correction, Alfred E. Smith State Office Building 80 South Swan Street, 12th Floor Albany, NY 12210. You may schedule an appointment for in-person inspection of records by calling (518) 485-2346.
Right to Appeal
Under provisions of the Public Officers Law you may appeal a FOIL determination. If you desire to submit such an appeal, you must do so within 30 days of the written response to your FOIL request. Please include a copy of the original request for records and a copy of the FOIL response letter you received along with your appeal letter to:
Brian M. Callhan
General Counsel
New York State Commission of Correction
Alfred E. Smith State Office Building
80 South Swan Street, 12th Floor
Albany, New York 12210
You will be informed in writing of the decision within ten business days of our receipt of such an appeal. Please indicate the FOIL Request Number when corresponding on this subject.
Subject Matter List
The following is a current list of records, by subject matter, that are maintained by this agency. Some of the listed records may be exempt from disclosure pursuant to the Freedom of Information Law.
Documents and Reports
Helpful Tips
For more information about FOIL, please visit the New York State Committee on Open Government’s website.
When submitting a FOIL request:
- Be as specific as possible in describing the requested records. Include relevant dates, names, descriptions, etc. See suggested language for a FOIL request from the Committee on Open Government.
- All requests for access to records of the Commission of Correction must be made in writing and must reasonably describe the record or records sought.
- Please note that the agency is not required to create a new record in response to FOIL requests.