Corrections officers and legislators speak out against prison closures

(The Center Square) – The Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association joined legislators at the capitol to speak out against the proposed closures of State Correctional Institute Rockview in Centre County and nearby Quehanna Boot Camp in Clearfield County.

Their stated concerns are many. The two facilities are major employers in the rural central area of the state, and residents are worried about the economic impact of losing them. Corrections officers are torn with the prospect of either taking on new roles at distant facilities or leaving their current careers.

“The next time they say everyone is guaranteed a job, be sure to read the fine print,” said John Eckenrode, president of PSCOA. “As some of you do know, closing a jail is a death sentence for their communities. In today’s America, it’s virtually impossible for a small town to replace a facility that employs close to 500 people.”

The Department of Corrections has cited decreased populations and  increased capacity across the prison system in their justification for the closures, expecting the change to save the state $120 million next year. They say that they can safely redistribute inmates in other facilities without causing problems. Corrections officers, on the other hand, say that the lack of crowding is precisely why violence is down.

SEIU Local 668 Secretary-Treasurer Nina Coffey spoke on behalf of workers in the correctional facilities who assist in the rehabilitation efforts at prisons, including addressing mental and physical health needs.

“Our members deal with difficult and often violent inmates,” said Coffey, who noted that they see the hard work of PSCOA to maintain safety and order in the facilities. “We worry that with the closure of more prisons and the possible attrition of more staff that we will again see overcrowding and understaffing leading to worsening outcomes for staff and inmates.”

Legislators say their constituents are, too, lifting their voices in opposition to the closures. They say they’ve heard stories about the positive impact the facilities had on their lives, particularly the unique experience at Quehanna, which offers a military style boot camp. Its recidivism rate is half that of the rest of the system.

“As a former prosecutor, I have facilitated people into the programs at Quehanna. I’ve spoken to inmates, former inmates that have called my district offices to tell me and extol the virtues of this facility,” said Sen. Wayne Langerholc, R-Johnstown. “Quehanna works, period. It is the epitome of what the Department of Corrections strives for day in and day out.”

Critics of the closures say that the Shapiro administration has chosen the wrong areas to make budget cuts and that doing so would be short-sighted. They point to the several correctional facilities and state hospitals no longer in operation that continue to weigh on both the state’s landscapes and its coffers.

“We’re working to investigate and understand the rationale behind these proposed closures,” said Rep. Paul Takac, D-State College.

Sen. Cris Dush, R-Brookville, worried that the state was being too hasty given the fluctuations of the prison population over time. He called for a thorough explanation behind the thinking and a clear plan for next steps that would not result in future overcrowding and poor living conditions for inmates.

“Do we really believe in those people that keep us safe, or do we believe in some accountant somewhere who dropped the beans on the floor and didn’t know which pile to put them back into?” said Rep. Scott Conklin, D-State College.