May 10, 2011 | 5:00 PM | By

Lessons from New York: Shutting prisons is hard

FILED UNDER: Corrections, New York

Sing Sing prison

Over the past decade, New York has cut its prison population by about 20 percent, while also managing to reduce its crime rate. Now, the state prison system is running at 88 percent capacity, according to the Elmira Star-Gazette. Why is that a problem? The state is still paying to operate 8,000 empty beds. To cut about half of that and save an estimated $72 million, Governor Andrew Cuomo has suggested closing down as many as six prisons and cutting correctional staff, who are currently enjoying a 1 to 3 ratio with inmates (the national average is one officer per 7.5 inmates).

Cuomo has been talking about closing prisons since before he took office in January. His predecessor, former Governor David Patterson, also tried to close down facilities, with some success: an attempt to shut down four in 2010 ended with the legislature stepping in to save two. The Democratic Senate majority’s press release after voting to restore funding for the prisons focused on their economic role in upstate New York:

“Ogdensburg and Moriah Shock are economic engines for the North Country, not only meeting our public protection needs, but also sustaining hundreds of local jobs,” said Senate Democratic Leader John L. Sampson. “From the start our priority was to save these two facilities and keep these jobs in the community.”

Following Cuomo’s announcement that he’ll accelerate the closing trend, similar forces are fighting back:

Assemblyman Gary Finch, R-Union Springs, Cayuga County, which is home to a maximum-security prison in Auburn and a medium-security facility in Moravia, said prison closures would devastate some upstate areas.

“Those are going to be major problems for those communities. I don’t like to think that the prisons are economic issues, but they can be,” he said.

As a sort of mitigation (or peace offering), Cuomo has said any community that suffers a prison closure will receive a $10 million economic development grant to try to rebuild its local job-base in another industry. Certainly, the same sorts of concerns will come up if California manages to reduce its prison population–what happens to prison towns in rural places like the Central Valley and inland Southern California, with little else to build economies around? That’s been an issue in Ione, California, where the proposed shuttering of the Preston Youth Correctional Facility has sparked opposition.

Does anyone know of a prison town that’s lost its prison, but rebuilt its economy?

  • Cstars

    This article is not true , the facts used are wrong and who wrote it needs to go back to school , the editor should have rechecked the facts before allowing this to be posted.

  • Anonymous

    Could you be more specific?

  • KissesKats

    Several things: 1) Preston’s closure affects far more than 450 employees + Ione and Amador county residents. There are 400+ FAMILIES involved, plus their extended communities. Example: Children suffer the most as families are forced to move to different towns for another job. Been there, done that: Lifelong after-effects. And IF there’s another job – many Preston ppl still have no idea if or where their next job is – it’s not guaranteed. 2) This article fails to mention that DJJ will close ALL juvenile facilities in the next few years. At the moment, sentencing counties are expected to absorb their own prisoners. Sacramento County shuttered the Boys Ranch nearly 2 years ago for budget constraints. This stinks of the Reagan fiasco 30 years ago – closing the state mental institutions & thowing sick people into the community unequipped to deal with them. Many ended up in the criminal justice system. Larger counties still lack adequate resources; smaller counties have none. 3) New jobs w/in commute distance? BAD idea! Justice runs 24 hrs. For the first 5 yrs of service, some classes have no chance of 8-5, M-F. There are frequent double shifts and double-back shifts. My s/o just did 5 shifts in 3 days! Commuting 45 min to his temporary assignment. Do the math: 16 hrs duty & 2 hrs commute = 6 hrs to eat, sleep, shower, interact w/family. Do you really want all these sleep deprived drivers on the road? Count the crosses between here & Folsom! Do you want these guys guarding criminals? This is nearly as dangerous as medical interns & air traffic controllers. It’s insane!

    I wish California HAD $10 million to ease the pain in Amador county! I love it here and desperately want to stay — but there are no jobs in Ione, and the economy will tank when we’re gone.

  • http://profiles.google.com/jlvwalsh Joanne Walsh

    Cry me a river. It’s immoral to imprison a population to employ another. Do we really know how many innocent people are in prison because of this unethical system. When someone goes on trial and the jury pool is directly involved in the system to put them away to provide them a check. Bring other industry to upstate. Shame on you New York. SHAME ! What you created 30 years ago is imploding on you.