Erie County’s Corrections Specialist Advisory Board presented its first annual report to lawmakers at Thursday’s legislative session. The board says its oversight work will continue as Erie County’s jail system faces ongoing questions around staffing, facility conditions and infrastructure needs.
Board chair Lindsay Allen said jail vacancies have improved since late last year.
"In November of 2025 there were 30 vacancies at the Erie County Holding Center and 18 at the Erie County Correctional Facility. As of this end board year, which was May of 2026, there were nine vacancies at the holding center and five vacancies at the correctional facility," she said.
However, the staffing problem is not fully resolved. Allen told lawmakers jail employees are still being forced in up to three or four days a week.
“Although these numbers have improved greatly, jail administration is still struggling with the staffing shortages due to facility housing restrictions, [Family and Medical Leave Act] usage, and vacations,” she said.
The Sheriff’s Office has been studying whether longer 10- or 12-hour shifts could help reduce overtime and staffing pressure.
“From our initial conversations with the superintendent and with that preliminary report, the early on decision is that they are not sure if it actually would help reduce the staffing shortages that they currently have," Allen said.
The advisory board acknowledged that a potential new jail was a major topic during its first year but said its current focus is on monitoring and supporting upgrades to the county’s existing jail facilities, including what it called the urgent installation of an upgraded camera system at the correctional facility. The recommendation comes less than a week after the death of Antonio Pizarro at the Erie County Holding Center, which is currently being investigated as a homicide.
“The board still remains steadfast that the current facilities need upgrades and continued improvement in order for the safety of those that currently live in the facility and work in the facility," Allen said, adding that the board wants to ensure the community that its members are committed to carrying out their oversight responsibility with diligence and integrity and that Pizarro’s death warrants a thorough, transparent and impartial investigation.
Other goals for the coming year include a “Know Your Rights” campaign for families trying to visit loved ones and making the board’s contact information available on new tablets expected to roll out for incarcerated people this year.
"The board looks forward to understanding how these new tablets will be able to increase the educational and workforce development options for the incarcerated population," Allen said.
Incarcerated people have also expressed interest in more hands-on and professional skills before release, according to Allen. The board said its next steps include working with the Sheriff’s Office on workforce development opportunities. The board created a complaint intake form and tracker to monitor letters and concerns from people held inside Erie County’s jail facilities. Allen said most complaints centered on conditions inside the holding center and correctional facility.
“The most common themes that we received via complaints were the lack of air conditioning on the linear units, which is the bars at the Erie County Holding Center, the consistent plumbing issues, specifically at the holding center, and the food within both facilities,” she told the Erie County Legislature.
