The Oneida County Correctional Facility, also known as the Oneida County Jail, has existed in Oneida County for over 200 years. Over the decades the care, custody and control of inmates in the correctional facility, and the facility itself, have undergone drastic change. The present Correction Facility was renovated and enlarged during the years 1996 - 1998, at a cost of 30 million dollars, and the capacity of the present jail is 634 prisoners.
The County Correctional Facility provides for custody of prisoners from throughout the judicial system, who have been remanded to the custody of the Sheriff of Oneida County. Some prisoners are pre-trial; committed to jail while awaiting trial. They require transportation to and from the courts. Others are convicted criminals who are sentenced to time in the county jail, or convicted of a felony and awaiting transfer to a state or federal correctional facility. The federal government "reserves" 35 beds for federal prisoners who are being transported throughout the country or who are appearing in federal courts in the area.
Regardless of a prisoner’s status, the Oneida County Correction Officers must provide security, supervision, safety and care. State, federal, and local governments set guidelines and regulations for management and treatment of inmates. Laws and regulations govern the admission and discharge of prisoners, proper classification and records, medical and food services, security and supervision, visitation, transportation, programs, facility maintenance, staff training, alternatives to incarceration and the prisoner’s transfer or release into the community.
The Correctional Facility of today bears little semblance to the Oneida County Jail of 50, or even 20 years ago. Modular pods and electronic doors have replaced bars and brass keys. Networked computer systems have replaced twenty-pound ledgers. The implementation of tactical teams, jail intelligence, safety and security upgrades, medical/ mental health care, and contracted food services has brought current, today's facility operations . The only constant throughout the years has been the Correction Officer.
Additional information on Correction Division units, sections and functions can be accessed from the menu to the left.
