Nov 11, 2010

Will New York State Finally Close Unneeded State Prisons?

Yesterday, Governor Elect, Andrew Cuomo visited Sing Sing Correctional Facility and indicated that closing state prisons who house fewer and fewer prisoners may be a key part of his strategy to reduce the state’s budget.   
Via the New York Times,  “On the prison side, the census is dropping; that’s good news,” Mr. Cuomo said. “We are locking up fewer people. But then you need fewer facilities. And the shrinkage of that system is going to be something that has to be thought through and managed.”
He said the state could not afford to have on its payroll state workers who have no real duties.
“I understand the economic consequences of losing state jobs,” Mr. Cuomo said. “The answer can’t be we are going to employ state workers who literally have no function.”