A Centre County lawmaker is introducing a state House resolution calling on Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration not to close Rockview prison in Benner Township and Quehanna Boot Camp in Clearfield County.
State Rep. Scott Conklin, D-Rush Township, said the proposed closures “would have immediate, negative consequences for our residents, our community and our economy” and that passage of his resolution would be a clear demonstration of lawmakers’ opposition.
“Beyond serving a critical public safety role in securing and rehabilitating offenders, these facilities have served our region for more than a century and are major area employers,” Conklin said in a statement. “The closure would have a devastating impact on nearly 850 workers and their families, with ripple effects throughout our entire economy. The closures would also place an untenable burden on other correctional facilities receiving an influx of new inmates for which they are unprepared.
The Department of Corrections on Feb. 10 announced that had accepted a steering committees recommendations and is proposing the closure of Rockview and Quehanna, as well as two state-run Community Corrections Centers, in a move Shapiro’s administration says would save the commonwealth $10 million over the next year and $100 million in the long term.
The administration can close the facilities without legislative approval, and while Conklin’s resolution would carry no legal weight, it is the latest in a swell of efforts to keep them open.
State lawmakers representing Centre and Clearfield counties, local officials, prison workers, their families and some inmates have been vocal in their opposition. Centre County’s Board of Commissioners estimated the closures would cause an economic loss of $117.9 million in across Centre, Clearfield and Clinton counties while disrupting families and inmates.
“Beyond the effects to our workforce and regional economy, closing these facilities would upend the progress of rehabilitation efforts that are working to help people in the justice system return to their families and productive lives in the community,” Conklin said. “Before these institutions are closed for good, I implore the governor and state correctional officials to consider the very real human costs to our region and the impact on lives.”
Public hearings were held in April, and the proposal remains under consideration after the Department of Corrections initially anticipated making a decision in May.
The 110-year-old Rockview, the second-oldest among Pennsylvania’s state prisons, houses about 2,000 people and employs 635. State officials said among the key considerations in proposing the prison is that over the next five years it will require $74 million in repairs and upgrades — a figure that was met with skepticism by opponents who questioned how many of those repairs have already been made and how many would still be required even if it closes.
Quehanna, a six-month, military-style program with a drug and alcohol treatment component in Karthaus, houses 321 people and employs 212. It requires about $6 million in repairs, according to the Department of Corrections.
Staff members would be offered positions with the same classification at one of five state correctional institutions located within 67 miles, and the Shapiro administration says the systemwide population allows for inmates to be transferred to other facilities. But opponents, including the state corrections officers union, say the distances to some facilities would be untenable for staff members and their families, and that reducing prison capacity would be harmful to employees and inmates if populations rise.
“This resolution will clearly demonstrate to the administration where lawmakers stand and can be used as another instrument of information in weighing this hefty decision,” Conklin said.
