- State Prison
- New York
- 716-937-4000
- Official Website
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NYSDOC – Wende Correctional Facility basic information to help guide you through what you can do for your inmate while they are incarcerated. The facility's direct contact number: 716-937-4000
This facility is for adult inmates.
The inmates housed at Wende Correctional Facility located at 3040 Wende Rd in Alden, NY are placed according to their custody level (determined by a number of factors including the past criminal history and the length of their sentence). There are ample educational and vocational training programs for all inmates, especially ones that show a willingness to learn new things that will prepare them for a better life when they are released. The mission is to promote and prepare the offender to leave in better shape than when they arrived, giving them the best chance to never come back and thus lower the state's recidivism rate.
Wende Correctional Facility is a maximum security prison located in Town of Alden in Erie County, New York, east of Buffalo. The prison is named for this region of Alden. The prison was formerly the site of a county jail operated by Erie County, New York, and sold to the state to further its need for a maximum security state prison. The Erie County Correctional Facility was built adjacent to Wende.
Notable inmates
- Jack Abbott – criminal and author. He committed suicide at Wende in 2002.
- Jimmy Burke – mastermind of the Lufthansa Heist. Burke was imprisoned in Wende until his death in 1996.
- Robert Chambers – the "Preppie Killer." He was imprisoned in Wende in 2008 and later transferred.
- Mark David Chapman – the killer of former Beatles member John Lennon. Chapman was transferred from Attica Correctional Facility to Wende on May 15, 2012.
- David Sweat – who killed a Broome County sheriff's officer and then led an escape from Clinton Correctional Facility in 2015, was transferred to Wende in April 2018.
Wende Correctional Facility offers several vocational training courses, including business, custodial/building maintenance, plumbing, and heating. Alcohol and substance abuse treatment services are also available to inmates. Inmates can take additional courses like alternatives for violence which helps train the inmate in various problem-solving techniques.
NYSDOC – Wende Correctional Facility – Handbook for Families of Inmates
| UNIT | PROGRAM | COMMENT |
|---|---|---|
| Education (Academic) | Special Education Program | |
| Education (Vocational) | Building Maintenance | |
| Education (Vocational) | Custodial Maintenance | |
| Education (Vocational) | General Business | RMU |
| Plumbing and Heating | ||
| Guidance and Counseling | Sex Offender Counseling & Treatment Program (SOCTP) | GP, SNU, RMU |
| Ministerial, Family & Volunteer Services | Family Reunion Program | |
| Ministerial, Family & Volunteer Services | Visitor Hospitality Centers | |
| Ministerial, Family & Volunteer Services | Alcoholics Anonymous/Narcotics Anonymous | Volunteer Services |
| Ministerial, Family & Volunteer Services | Alternatives For Violence Project (AVP) | Volunteer Services |
| Substance Abuse Treatment Services | Alcohol/Substance Abuse Treatment (ASAT) | GP and RMU |
| Substance Abuse Treatment Services | Integrated Dual Disorder Treatment (IDDT) | ICP and SNU |
| UNIT | PROGRAM | COMMENT |
|---|---|---|
| Guidance and Counseling | EEP/MT/Presumptive Release/SMT/LCTA | |
| Ministerial, Family & Volunteer Services | Children’s Play Areas | See Description |
| Ministerial, Family & Volunteer Service | Ministerial Services | See Description |
| Resource Management | Waste Management | Recycling Activities |
| Special Subjects | Art/Handicrafts and Music | As Staffing Allows |
| Special Subjects | Inmate Organizations | |
| Special Subjects | Recreation | |
| Special Subjects | Special Events Program | |
| Temporary Release | Temporary Release Programs | |
| Transitional Services | Transitional Services Program | See Description |
ALL GENERAL CONFINEMENT FACILITIES
| UNIT | PROGRAM | COMMENT |
|---|---|---|
| Education (Academic) | Adult Basic Education | |
| Education (Academic) | High School Equivalency (HSE) | |
| Guidance and Counseling | Incarcerated Veterans Program | Level I |
| Transitional Services | Phase I | |
| Transitional Services | Moving On | Phase II |
| Transitional Services | Phase III | |
| Transitional Services | Inmate Program Associate (IPA) | |
| Transitional Services | Aggression Replacement Training (ART) Program | |
| Transitional Services | Thinking For a Change (T4C) |
visitation Info
NYSDOC – Wende Correctional Facility – Visitation
VISITING DAYS & HOURS
9:00AM to 3:15PM Monday to Friday
8:30AM to 3:15PM Weekends and Holidays
Latest Arrival Time 2:15PM.
SPECIAL HOUSING UNIT VISITING DAYS & HOURS (Inmates in SHU – 1 visit within 7 day period)
9:00AM to 3:00PM Sunday to Saturday Latest Arrival Time 2:15PM
RMU 9:00AM to 2:15PM Weekends and Holidays Latest Arrival Time 1:30PM
NUMBER OF ALLOWABLE VISITS
Unlimited number of visits during visiting hours.
MAXIMUM NUMBER OF VISITORS PER VISIT/DAY (How many people at a visiting table at one time)
Seven Visitors Monday to Thursday; Three visitors Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Holidays not including lap children/Unlimited
