Bedford Hills Correctional Facility

Bedford Hills Correctional Facility is a maximum-security facility for female inmates that is located in Bedford Hills, New York. It is operated by the New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision and can house approximately 1,000 inmates. This is the only maximum-security prison for women in the state of New York.

The family-centered program at Bedford Hills was created by Sister Elaine Roulet, and it is used as a model for other family programs in prisons across the United States. This facility opened in 1901 as Westfield State Farm, and before the death penalty was repealed in 2008, it was the location of New York’s female death row.

Inmates with small children are housed in the prison nursery in the Infant Development Center separate from the general population. Eligible prisoners do not have a history with child welfare authorities, and the program does not accept those convicted of violent crimes. 

Children are usually kept in the nursery until they reach one year of age, but this can be extended up to 18 months so the mother can be released with her child. 

Notable inmates at Bedford Hills include:

Amy Fisher, nicknamed "The Long Island Lolita" by the press, was convicted of the 1992 shooting of the wife of her lover Joey Buttafuoco, with whom she began an affair as a 16-year-old student. She served seven years in prison - including nearly four years at Bedford Hills - before she was released in 1999.

Reminisce Mackie, a rapper known as Remy Ma, was sentenced to eight years for attempted murder and was released on parole in 2014.

Pamela Smart, a former high school teacher, was found guilty by a jury in March 1991 for conspiring with her underage lover, William Flynn, and his three friends to kill her 24-year-old husband, Greggory Smart, in Derry, New Hampshire. 

She was transferred to Bedford Hills from the New Hampshire State Prison for Women in March 1993, because New Hampshire lacked a secure enough facility to house her, which was needed because of the high-profile nature of her case. She was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility for parole. 

Anna Sorokin, known by the alias Anna Delvey, is a Russian-born fraudster who created the fictitious identity of Anna Delvey and pretended to be a wealthy German heiress. In 2019, she was convicted of multiple counts of attempted grand larceny, theft of services, and larceny in the second degree for scamming New York City hotels and wealthy acquaintances.

Prison Insights

Visiting Hours and Rules

Visiting hours at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility are seven days per week (including holidays) between 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM. You must arrive by 3:00 PM to visit with your inmate.

Special Housing Unit Visiting Days & Hours (Inmates in SHU custody are allowed one non-legal visit within a seven day period): 8:30 AM to 3:30PM; Latest Arrival Time 2:45PM; Each week starts on a Sunday and ends on a Saturday. 

For more visiting information, click here.

Visitor Checklist

The following is a checklist to ensure you are 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.

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.

College Programs

The Bedford Hills College Program; Consortium of Colleges: Purchase, Marymount Manhattan, Union Theological Seminary and Sarah Lawrence. Support from SUNY/New Paltz Foundation.

Associate's & Bachelor's Degree Programs

On-site college level credit-bearing courses for incarcerated individuals who possess a verified high school equivalency or high school diploma.

The goal of college programs is to enable incarcerated individuals to continue education beyond high school and work toward earning a college certificate or degree. A high school diploma or HSE is required.

Computer Information Technology Support

Students in the Computer Information Technology Support Program learn computer software including word processing, spreadsheets, databases, and presentations.

The goal of this program is to provide the student with entry level skills as a Computer User Support Specialist. This is self-paced individualized instruction to develop student competencies in entry level skills as defined by modules. 

IC3 Digital Literacy Certification from Certiport; Microsoft Office Specialist Certification in Excel, PowerPoint and word processing from Certiport; and Help Desk Certification from Computer Visions, Inc. are available.

Cosmetology

The Cosmetology course covers the care of hair, skin, and nails, and provides instruction in the skills of hair shaping, coloring, thermal curling, straightening and styling of hair.

The goal of this course is to provide students with entry level skills as a hairdresser, beautician or manicurist, and to prepare them to take the Cosmetology licensing exam. This is self-paced individualized instruction to develop student competencies in entry level skills as defined by modules.

Instruction in the required hours is needed to apply for the New York State Cosmetology licensing exam.

Earned Eligibility / Merit Time / Presumptive Release / Supplemental Merit Time / Limited Credit Time Allowance Programs

The concept of Earned Eligibility is based upon the premise that incarcerated individuals successfully participating in assigned programs will be more likely to make a successful transition to their family and the community upon release. 

Incarcerated individuals granted Certificates of Earned Eligibility prior to their Parole Board appearance shall be granted release at the expiration of their minimum sentence or as authorized under the Shock Incarceration Program unless the Board of Parole determines their release is not compatible with the welfare of society.

Merit Time can be granted to incarcerated individuals serving sentences for certain non-violent crimes who have exhibited an acceptable disciplinary history and have achieved significant programmatic benchmarks. These individuals may be granted a one-sixth reduction off their minimum sentence. Merit Time candidates must have successfully pursued their earned eligibility/program plan in addition to having met specific Merit Time criteria.

Presumptive Release allows incarcerated individuals serving indeterminate sentences for certain non-violent crimes who have no history of violence to be released to community supervision without appearing before the Parole Board, provided they have maintained positive disciplinary and program records and have not filed a frivolous lawsuit.

Supplemental Merit Time allows incarcerated individuals serving indeterminate sentences for Class A-II through Class E drug felony offenses committed prior to December 27, 2004 to qualify for an additional one-sixth reduction off their minimum sentence in addition to the conventional one-sixth Merit Time benefit.

Limited Credit Time Allowances (LCTA) is a six-month benefit for most offenders who are not eligible for traditional Merit Time. Certain offenders serving either a determinate or indeterminate sentence for a crime that is not a Merit eligible offense may be eligible to earn a six-month LCTA benefit against their sentence; this is provided that certain significant programmatic accomplishments have been achieved (completion of one of 12 LCTA program criteria), and they have successfully pursued their earned eligibility/program plan and have not committed a serious disciplinary infraction or maintained an overall poor institutional record, and have not filed a frivolous lawsuit(s).

Family Reunion

The Family Reunion Program (FRP) provides approved incarcerated individuals and their families the opportunity to meet for a designated period of time in a private home-like setting.

The goals of the program include:

• Preserving and strengthening family ties that have been disrupted as a result of incarceration.
• Fostering positive and responsible conduct.
• Facilitating post-release reintegration into the family and community, thereby reducing the likelihood of recidivism.

General Business

The General Business course provides students with instruction on using computers, calculators, and printers. Students become familiar with software applications, including word processing, spreadsheets, databases, presentations, and desktop publishing. In addition, instruction is offered in filing, mailing procedures, bookkeeping, and business correspondence.

The goal of the course is to prepare students to work in a business office. It provides self-paced individualized instruction to develop student competencies in entry level skills as defined by modules.

IC3 Digital Literacy Certification from Certiport and Microsoft Office Specialist Certifications in Excel, PowerPoint, and word processing from Certiport are available.

Horticulture

Horticulture refers to the production, care, management, and marketing of plants such as flowers, shrubs, trees, bulbs, and turf. Training includes instruction and practice in techniques and methods of plant propagation, transplanting, pruning, cultivation, fertilization, and greenhouse production, as well as plant identification and insect control.

Students learn basic landscape design through the use of brick, stone, and wood in the construction of walks, walls, and fences as well as the construction of new lawns, mowing, fertilization, and insect and disease control. Instruction is given in operating various horticulture hand and power equipment, such as mowers, tractors, rototillers, and other garden tools.

The goal of the Horticulture course is to provide a student with entry level skills to be employable as Horticulturist or Groundskeeper. It offers self-paced individualized instruction to develop student competencies in entry level skills as defined by modules.

Living Safely and Without Violence

Living Safely and Without Violence is an intervention designed for females involved in the criminal justice system who have specifically been charged with violence crimes and/or who have a history of aggressive behavior, including self-harm or violence towards others.

Emphasis is placed on exploring how and why individuals use violence, and how they can live safely without it. Participants are introduced to an integrated and multi-sensory approach, which focuses on emotional regulation, interpersonal competencies, and mindfulness practices.

The program's goals are to assist these women in learning to respond in a healthy, non-violent manner to adverse life events by examining the relationship between emotions and violence, building self-change along with developing maintenance strategies and utilizing adaptive strategies and social resources to life safely and without violence.

To be eligible for this program, participants must have been assessed with an aggression need and they must have successfully completed the Moving On program prior to placement in this program.

Printing

The Printing Course is an extensive program teaching a variety of techniques ranging from bookbinding, typesetting, and lithography (offset press work).

The goal of this course is to provide students with entry level skills that will enable them to secure employment in the printing trade. 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 is available.

Puppies Behind Bars

Puppies Behind Bars trains incarcerated individuals to raise puppies as service dogs for wounded war veterans, as well as explosive detection canines for law enforcement and first responders. The puppies live with the puppy raisers for the duration of the basic training of commands and routines. The puppy raisers learn to groom, feed, water, exercise, and train the puppies. Staff from a community organization, Puppies Behind Bars, teaches the coursework. 

Staff can also get involved as weekend puppy sitters. Puppy raisers who successfully complete the training receive the job title of Animal Caretaker on their permanent file, as well as a certificate of completion from Puppies Behind Bars. Qualified individuals in the Puppies Behind Bars program can participate in a distance learning veterinarian assistant course funded by the Puppies Behind Bars organization.

The goal of the program is to provide guide dogs for blind people and to teach incarcerated individuals the skills to become animal caregivers. The program runs for 16 months, and testing is conducted by the Puppies Behind Bars organization.

To participate, the following are considered:

• High school diploma or HSE.
• Nature of crime.
• Medications.
• Disciplinary record.
• Time in facility and time to parole.

Women’s Initiative

The Women’s Initiative seeks to assist incarcerated women with their unique needs regarding rehabilitation and re-entry into their communities. Workshops include “Who am I," “Self-esteem & Self-worth,” “Boundaries & Relationships," and “Grief & Forgiveness.”  

The focus of these workshops is to discover where one comes from and look at how the physical environment, socio-cultural influences and spirituality help define them as a person. The program seeks to help participants understand how their thoughts influence how they see themselves and, in turn, how that affects the decisions they make.

The program also helps them define boundaries and why they are important in their personal, family, and professional life. Healthy relationships versus abusive, controlling relationships are examined along with each person’s personal rights. It gives the women the opportunity to identify their losses and define forgiveness as a choice that allows them to move forward in life unburdened by guilt and shame.

This program is voluntary and participants focus on looking at their lives and starting to make needed changes to improve their situation and their family’s.

Pictures of Bedford Hills Correctional Facility

Careers at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility