Of the organs secured for transplant last year through the Center for Donation & Transplant in Guilderland, some likely came from three state prison inmates who died in Albany.

Prisoner donations are “quite rare” in the center’s service area of northeastern New York and western Vermont, according to Executive Director Michael Thibault. Since 2012, only seven have occurred.

“Generally speaking, of all deaths that occur in the U.S. each year, less than 10% of those deaths occur in a way where organ donation is an option,” he said.

The issue of prisoners as organ donors has been hotly debated over the years, with some arguing that by virtue of their incarceration, inmates cannot give informed consent. Others point to the gap between organ demand and supply and see........

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