|
|
| State money crunch could force closure |
| By rep-am.com |
| Published: 11/23/2009 |
|
HARTFORD -- The state's fiscal crisis is forcing Gov. M. Jodi Rell to contemplate closing a state prison for the first time in more than a decade. A declining inmate population and rising red ink in the state budget make closing prisons or prison wings an attractive option. The Department of Correction has one of the biggest budgets in state government. Only a few years ago, prison overcrowding was a hot-button issue in Connecticut. The idea of closing prisons is a sign of the economically desperate times. The debate in the last couple of years had been whether new prisons needed to be built. This year, the Republican governor and Democratic-controlled legislature argued over how many prisons could be closed — one or two. The Democrats enacted a two-year state budget in September that assumed savings based on the potential closing of prisons or parts of prisons. The governor let the $37.5 billion budget take effect without signing it. Three weeks ago, Rell directed the Department of Correction to study the possibility of closing one of the state's 18 prisons. The department's recommendations are due Thursday. Read More. |
MARKETPLACE search vendors | advanced search
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
|
Comments:
No comments have been posted for this article.
Login to let us know what you think