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January 15, 2006
NY: Converting a prison into a prison for "sexual predators"
Press & Sun Bulletin, Binghamton, NY
Sunday January 15, 2006
EDITORIAL
Be careful
Looking into the possibility of converting Camp Pharsalia
Gov. George E. Pataki's proposal to close Camp Pharsalia and convert it into a 500-bed facility for civil confinement of sexual predators is an intriguing idea ‹ but also a very sketchy one. A lot of details need to be examined before any bricks are laid.
The governor has wanted to close the camp for the past few years in response to the falling prison population. At the same time, he has pressed for civil confinement of sexual predators for a while now. This could be a solution to both problems.
The Chenango County community, meanwhile, finds itself in an unexpected position. After years of petitioning the state to keep Pharsalia in operation, it now has to decide if the possible benefits ‹ jobs, especially ‹ will outweigh the possible debits of it becoming a repository for sexual predators.
Before the state and Chenango County commit to his proposal, of course, there are several questions that should be addressed:
€We've heard the governor boast before about large numbers of jobs being created (Glendale and EIT, for example). Is 1,000 jobs an accurate figure for staffing the facility, or does it factor in the crews necessary to build it?
€The operating cost of the facility is expected to be $92 million a year. With 500 inmates, that divides into $184,000 spent to house, feed and give medical care to each inmate. According to the state Department of Correction Services, the average cost spent to house and care for an inmate is $31,000 per year. Would the actual Pharsalia cost per inmate be so dramatically higher than the state average?
€What compensation would the Pharsalia community receive? What is the environmental impact to placing it in the rural site?
The governor is right about one thing: If New Yorkers think it's wise to restrain sexual predators after their criminal sentences have been served, they've got to go somewhere. The conversion of Pharsalia is one option worth considering.
But there's no need to rush this plan through without weighing all of these questions ‹ and others that may arise ‹ very carefully.
http://www.pressconnects.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060115/OPINION/601
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Posted by lois at January 15, 2006 09:26 PM