Updated 4:31 p.m.
Rockview state prison in Benner and College townships is one of two statewide correctional facilities being recommended for closure as a cost-saving measure, Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration said on Monday.
If finalized, all 658 current staff members at the medium-security prison would be guaranteed a job offer at their existing pay and classification at another state correctional institute within 67 miles, Secretary of Corrections Laurel R. Harry said in a news release.
A steering committee recommended closing Rockview and Quehanna Boot Camp in Karthaus, Clearfield County — as well as state-run Community Corrections Centers in Berks and Greene counties — after the DOC participated in the state’s pilot Resource Evaluation and Mission Alignment Project, an initiative designed to ensure resources of multiple departments are being used effectively.
Opened in 1915 and located on 5,700 acres, Rockview is the second oldest prison in the state system, and the report states that it will require $74 million in repairs and upgrades over the next five years.
The DOC accepted the report’s recommendations and will now begin a legally mandated minimum three-month period for community members to provide feedback before a final decision is rendered.
“I will carefully consider the committee’s recommendations and stakeholder feedback in the coming months,” Harry said. “My team and I will conduct the process in a manner that is transparent and considerate of everyone impacted, including staff, the incarcerated population, and their loved ones, and the communities of Centre, Clearfield, and surrounding counties.”
Shapiro’s 2025-2026 budget proposal recommended the closure of two state prisons and two community corrections centers— though they were not named in the documents — which the administration says would save the commonwealth $10 million over the next year and $100 million in the long term.
The proposal was met with swift pushback by the Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association, which it reiterated on Monday, saying it would “vigorously fight against this misguided decision.”
“Saving money at the expense of the safety of our members is too high a price to pay,” PSCOA President John Eckenrode said. “In 2019, violence in our state prisons was some of the worst I’ve seen in a quarter century of service. Much of this was due to 21 of 25 prisons being over 90% capacity, including 11 over 100%. Today, violence has dropped in part because the prison population is spread more evenly. Last year, half of all prisons were over 90% capacity and only four over 100%. Lessons learned from 2019 now are being forgotten. Closing these facilities will create potential powder kegs of trouble that many of us thought were a relic of the past.”
State Rep. Paul Takac, D-College Township, whose 82nd district includes Rockview, said he was “deeply surprised and concerned” by the announcement.
“The closure of these facilities could have significant negative impacts on not only the employees and their families, but our communities and local economy as a whole,” Takac said in a statement. “I want to assure the families and communities potentially impacted by these recommendations that their voices are and will continue to be heard, and I will do everything I can for the best possible outcome for them and our entire region. It is vital that we fully understand the consequences of this proposal on our local economy and community well-being.”
State Sen. Wayne Langholc Jr., R-Richland Township, whose 35th district includes part of Centre County and all of Clearfield County, also spoke out against the closure plan, calling it “ill-conceived.”
“I stand in full opposition to this proposal and will utilize all available resources to ensure it does not occur,” Langerholc said in a statement. “Corrections is a core governmental service. Besides ensuring the community’s safety, these facilities provide stable, family sustaining jobs that are essential to our local economy. The governor’s budget certainly had no lack of increased spending to benefit his core supporting industries. Now he deals a blow to small rural counties to fund his inflated spending plan. Quehanna Boot Camp and SCI Rockview are well established, well-functioning efficient facilities. They need to stay in operation.”
A declining number of inmates and a high number of vacancies among correctional officer positions post-COVID statewide were among the conditions that the DOC steering committee cited in recommending the closures.
Since June 2020, when SCI Retreat in Luzerne County was closed, the state’s inmate population has decreased by more than 2,800 and about 18.8% of the approximately 46,500 total institutional beds in the system were empty, according to the committee’s report. Rockview currently houses 2,148 inmates with a capacity of 2,541, and Quehanna has 348 inmates with a capacity of 612 — creating a combined total of 2,457 inmates between the two facilities.
The department says it also has approximately 2,000 additional offline beds that were temporarily closed for cost savings or renovation that could be brought back into use with the closures of Rockview and Quehanna.
Corrections officer vacancy rates are about 5.2% “despite a record hiring pace of more than 2,500 Corrections Officer Trainees” in 2023 and 2024, according to the report. Those vacancies are typically covered by officers working overtime, and over the last two years 1.36 million hours of overtime were needed to fill vacancies at a cost of more than $70.5 million, the committee wrote.
“The volume of overtime hours necessary to sustain safe staffing levels across 24 facilities continues to overtax staff and likely contributes to the elevated turnover and washout rates observed,” according to the report. “Moreover, the costs associated with paying for those overtime hours have consistently exceeded budget allocations, diverting resources from intended purposes.”
Consolidating the population into fewer facilities, “can reduce staffing strains, overtime costs, and operational inefficiencies, while also maintaining the security and safety of staff and inmates,” the committee wrote.
Chief among the reasons for Rockview’s recommended closure is its need for repairs. The $74 million in upgrades it would require include roofs, water lines, showering facilities, a boiler system, exterior repairs and road repaving.
Its major systems, including stormwater management, potable water, sanitary sewer, electrical and heating systems are more than 50 years old and the average building condition is rated “fair.”
The facility also cannot easily accommodate wheelchairs, has limited cells for disabled individuals and “is ill-equipped to manage the aging population trends observed during the last quarter century,” according to the report.
Rockview’s housing units were cited as an issue as well. They “have limited lines of sight and limit the opportunity for supervision of the inmate population in comparison to the open design of modern facilities,” the committee wrote.
Specialized units at the prison, including the Forestry Camp, Continuity of Government/Execution Complex, Warehouse and Security Processing Center, could “easily be supported by SCI Benner Township,” which is on the same grounds as Rockview.
More than 80% of inmates are custody level 2 or 3, meaning they could be transferred to any male prison in the system, and the DOC has “more than adequate capacity” to accommodate the number of Rockview inmates in specialized treatment units, according to the report.
Among staff, 118, or 17.9% are currently eligible for retirement, and 20 more will become eligible during the potential closure timeline.
For staff who would accept a position at another facility, five are located within 67 miles of Rockview. They include the neighboring Benner Township state prison, which opened in 2013, Houtzdale (41 miles), Smithfield (38 miles) and Huntingdon (38 miles) and Muncy (67 miles).
Rockview houses Pennsylvania’s execution chamber, though because of moratoriums, no executions have been performed since 1999.
At Quehanna, the male boot camp program “consistently struggles to maintain a meaningful level of capacity,” the committee wrote. In 2024, it was at just 56.9% capacity. The program can be transferred to another facility, and the female population can be moved to SCI Cambridge Springs
More than a quarter of its staff are or will soon be eligible for retirements, and for staff who accept other job offers in the system, four correctional facilities are located within 67 miles of Quehanna.
“I know these decisions have a direct impact on our staff and supporting them through this process is a top priority,” Harry said in a statement. “Every single affected staff member will be guaranteed an offer of a job at their existing pay and classification.”
Takac said he has been “in close contact” with the governor’s office, other elected officials and community and business leaders about what will happen next.
“The Public Safety Facilities Act is very clear on the timeline and process needed to make a final decision to close facilities like these, requiring impact studies, protection for employees, and getting public input from the communities affected,” Takac said. “I am going to make sure these provisions are followed to the letter, so everyone is informed, and the administration lives up to its responsibilities.
“As a member of the Rural Population and Revitalization Commission, I am well aware of the potential long-term economic impact of job losses, especially in rural communities. I am committed to doing everything possible to ensure that the interests and concerns of all those affected are heard loud and clear — especially the hard-working, highly trained staff — and that they are given the attention and every bit of support they deserve. If the closures happen, it wasn’t because of the staff. They deserve a fair deal.”
