Latest news with #Act133of2018
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pennsylvania to close 4 corrections facilities
(WKBN) — The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (DOC) announced on Monday the confirmation of four proposed facility closures. Read next: Gov. DeWine picks former Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel as lieutenant governor Secretary Dr. Laurel R. Harry accepted the DOC steering committee's report proposing the closure of SCI Rockview and the Quehanna Boot Camp. Per Act 133 of 2018, acceptance of this proposal triggers a minimum three-month period for community members and other stakeholders to provide feedback before a final decision is made. The DOC also announced plans to close two state-run Community Corrections Centers (CCCs): Wernersville CCC in Berks County and Progress CCC in Waynesburg, Greene County. The centers are expected to close in approximately three months. The DOC has also pledged to find suitable placement for staff at Wernersville and Progress CCCs. According to a news release, if fully implemented, the closures of SCI Rockview, Quehanna Boot Camp, Wernersville CCC, and Progress CCC are expected to save the Commonwealth $10 million in the upcoming fiscal year, with savings exceeding $100 million in future fiscal years. This comes after Governor Josh Shapiro recommended these closures last week. More than 400 corrections officer jobs remain open in the state, though the vacancy rate dropped below 5% following enhanced recruiting efforts by the state. In 2020, Pennsylvania closed SCI Retreat in Luzerne County, and in 2018, SCI Graterford closed. In 2013, SCI Greensburg and SCI Cresson were also closed. Pennsylvania currently operates 24 state correctional institutions. Facilities that are currently open are Camp Hill, Muncy, Albion, Mercer, Frackville, Chester, Somerset, Coal Township, Fayette, Huntingdon, Laurel Highlands, Rockview, Cambridge Springs, Mahanoy, Smithfield, Benner Township, Pine Grove, Houtzdale, Forest, Dallas, Waymart, Phoenix, Greene, and Quehanna Boot Camp. WHTM contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pennsylvania Corrections Officers union, lawmakers reacts to prison closure plan
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) – One thing both Democrats and Republicans agree on is that it would save money if the state closes two state prisons and two other state-run community correction centers. Gov. Josh Shapiro unveiled this proposal in his budget address on Tuesday. The proposal does not name which centers would close. The Department of Corrections says a committee will submit a report to the secretary of corrections that recommends which SCIs are proposed for closure. Pennsylvania prison closures: New details revealed in proposed shut downs The Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association says it is appalled at how this is being handled. 'If we can't stop it, we're going to try to make these landings for these employees wherever they may go, as soft as possible,' says association president John Eckenrode. 'Our individual prison population is going to increase and any time you put more inmates in the same area, you know, violence increases.' The association obtained a letter from the Department of Corrections that guarantees all employees will keep their jobs and salaries. 'By having staff sent to other prisons, it certainly seems like more programming will be available for the men and women that are incarcerated now,' says John Hargreaves with the Pennsylvania Prison Society. Hargreaves says there are over 39,000 inmates in state prisons. The governor's proposal notes that the number of inmates in state prisons has decreased by 9,000 over the last eight years. Because of Act 133 of 2018, the public has to be involved in the process of closing state prisons. One public hearing has to be held in the county where the facility that is proposed to close is located. Community correction centers don't fall under that law. Eckenrode questions the transparency and asks why hearings aren't held for these centers as well. Judiciary Committee Chair Sen. Lisa Baker says the process to close a prison takes around four months. Employees have to be given 60 days notice and the community needs to be notified three months in advance. The Department of Corrections then has to submit a written report to the governor and four caucuses that detail recommendations from stakeholders. Sen. Baker remembers when SCI Retreat was closed in her district a few years ago. 'Many of the workers had a more than 60 mile commute to a new facility,' says Sen. Baker (R-Luzerne/Pike/Susquehanna/Wayne/Wyoming). 'The department thought they would realize a large savings. At that time, $40 million, but if you look at the bottom line of the Department of Corrections budget, we never realized that level of savings.' Hargreaves says the Pennsylvania Prison Society is worried about the safety and well-being of everyone who would be impacted by a closure, but he mentions an opportunity. 'Some of the prisons need vast capital improvement and this will be an opportunity to not do that, but just close that particular prison,' Hargreaves says. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
