Altona Correctional Facility

Altona Correctional Facility is a medium security facility for male inmates that is located in Altona, New York. It is operated by the New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. This facility opened in 1983 and can house up to 512 inmates. 

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

Visiting hours at Altona Correctional Facility are between 8:15AM and 2:30PM on weekends and Holidays. You must arrive by 2:00PM to visit with your inmate. A maximum of four adults and two children are allowed during a visit.

For more detailed visiting information, click here.

Visitor Checklist

The following is a checklist to help you get prepared for the visit:

• Confirm that the offender has not been transferred and has visitation privileges.
• Bring valid photo identification.
• If you have made special arrangements with the facility, call before leaving to ensure that plans for your visit have been made and are in place.
• Check clothing and jewelry for compliance with visiting regulations.
• If you are bringing a child and you are not the legal guardian or parent, be sure you have a notarized statement from the child’s parent or legal guardian.

• Before leaving home, check your vehicle for contraband and/or hazardous items and be sure to remove these items before entering correctional facility grounds. This includes, but is not limited to:
  • implements of escape
  • drug paraphernalia
  • intoxicants
  • poisons
  • items posing a danger to others
  • weapons, such as knives, scissors, or firearms
  • items used to show a gang affiliation
• Arrive on the designated day during proper visiting hours.
• Leave purses, wallets, and electronic devices in the glove compartment or in the trunk of your car. Be sure to lock your car!
• Do not leave minor children waiting in the car or your visit will be ended.
• Do not have any contraband on you when you enter the facility.
• Treat correctional staff with respect.
• Do not bring anything into the visiting room to give to the offender. Offenders are not permitted to take anything from the visiting area.

How to Call an Inmate

How to Send Money

Programs For Inmates

DOCCS offers an extensive array of programs and services for incarcerated individuals to assist them in redirecting their lives and becoming productive, law-abiding members of society.

Adult Basic Education

The Adult Basic Education Program provides individualized instruction. This is provided to meet the needs of incarcerated individuals who have reading and math scores below the sixth grade level on the Department's selected standardized test in reading, mathematics, and language arts in the context of real life adult problems and situations.

The goal of this program is to provide individuals with skills or competencies necessary to function successfully in contemporary society and to enable the participant to function at the sixth grade reading and mathematics level.

Individuals with reading and/or math levels below six grade as measured by the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) standardized achievement test are eligible to attend this program. Participants are to be retested using the appropriate level of the Test of Adult Basic Education three times per year.

Aggression Replacement Training (ART)

A cognitive behavioral intervention program designed to assist individuals in improving social skills, moral reasoning, coping with and reducing aggressive behavior through the use of self regulating exercises and mindfulness.

ART consists of three coordinated interventions: anger control training, structured learning, and moral reasoning. The program consists of five modules with 32 sessions.

Participants will learn to understand what causes them to feel angry and act aggressively, as well as techniques to reduce anger/aggressive behavior, self-regulate to stop "automatic" aggression, and to build skills that help make better choices.

Individuals who are assessed as having the need for ART are assigned to the program by the facility Program Committee.

Program participants are required to satisfactorily complete weekly assignments. Participants must also share their experiences with the group identifying how they utilized acquired ART skills. Each participant is required to actively and appropriately participate in group discussions and be willing to assist other participants. Participants may be videotaped to provide visual feedback as part of the learning process.

Building Maintenance

The Building Maintenance program provides students with fundamental skills required to make minor repairs in carpentry, masonry, electricity, plumbing, and weatherization. This course prepares the student with entry-level skills as a building superintendent.

Computer Operator

This course introduces students to the hardware and software components of computers. The main focus of the program is the operation of software, which includes word processing, spreadsheets, databases, and presentations.

The goal of the Computer Operator course is to provide students with entry level skills to operate computers and work with software programs. Coding for web design is offered to advanced students. This is self-paced, individualized instruction to develop student competencies in entry level skills as defined by modules.

Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certifications in Excel, PowerPoint, and word processing from Certiport; Internet and Computing Core certification (IC3) from Certiport; and Web Design Specialist certification from Computer Visions, Inc. is available.

Custodial Maintenance

The Custodial Maintenance Course emphasizes custodial services, including floor care, carpet and fabric care, upholstery care, window care, restroom care, and the safe use and operation of power cleaning equipment and sanitation chemicals.

The goal of this course is to provide students with competencies in entry level skills in commercial, institutional and industrial cleaning and maintenance. This is self-paced, individualized instruction to develop student competencies in entry level skills as defined by modules.

Basic and Advanced Custodial Technician certifications, NCCER core training program certification, and New York State Department of Labor Apprenticeship program are also available.

Painting & Decorating

Students in this program learn techniques of paint application to both interior and exterior surfaces. Skills taught relate to preparation of the surface, and application of stains, clear finishes, and pigmented paint. Students learn techniques of wallpapering, and wood refinishing. Instruction is given in safety procedures in handling paints, ladders, and scaffolding.

The goal of this course is to provide students with entry level skills as a painter or painter's helper. It offers self-paced, individualized instruction to develop student competencies in entry level skills as defined by modules.

A New York State Department of Labor Apprenticeship Program and NCCER Painting Certification Training Program are available.

Waste Management

The Waste Management Program provides recycling and organic waste diversion and avoided cost services for the Department and selected municipalities. The program employs up to 1100 incarcerated individuals at various levels in facilities and regional recycling processing centers. 

Food Waste composting operations are located throughout the state and generally outside facility security perimeters.

Program goals include providing:

• solid waste disposal cost avoidance to the Department through procurement, recycling and organic waste composting strategies
• statutory compliance with solid waste regulations and benign environmental stewardship waste management practices
• relevant and productive inmate work experiences

Pictures of Altona Correctional Facility

Careers at Altona Correctional Facility