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April 15, 2009
PA: State begins construction on 1st of 3 new prisons
State begins construction on 1st of 3 new prisons
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
By Tom Barnes, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
HARRISBURG -- A lot of businesses and industries have been hard hit by the ailing economy, but in Pennsylvania there's still one industry doing well -- prison construction.
The state Department of Corrections announced today that construction of the first of three new state prisons will begin this summer in Centre County, on the grounds of an existing state prison, State Correctional Institution Rockview.
The new medium-security prison, which will hold 2,000 inmates, is expected to open within three years. It will cost about $200 million, officials said. It will be called SCI Benner Township and will employ 650 people. It will share warehouses and administrative functions with SCI Rockview.
In the next several years, two more new prisons will be built -- a 2,000-inmate facility in Fayette County and a prison to hold 4,000 inmates in Montgomery County. The latter will add 2,000 new beds and provide 2,000 replacement beds for prisoners now housed at the existing SCI Graterford. The old prison will then be mothballed, meaning closed unless there is a need to reopen it in the future due to ever-increasing inmate population.
In all, officials plan to add nearly 9,000 beds to the prison system. Beside the 6,000 beds at the three new prisons, new housing units will be built in Crawford, Forest, Indiana and Northumberland counties.
The expansion projects will cost $862 million, paid for by through state capital budget.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09104/962730-100.stm
Posted by lois at April 15, 2009 11:24 PM