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| 2 more prisons likely closing in Hardwick |
| By news.mywebpal.com |
| Published: 01/07/2010 |
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It’s no secret that Men’s State Prison and Bostick State Prison are on borrowed time. The two correctional facilities, both located in old Central State Hospital buildings, currently are on the Department of Corrections’ "non-enduring facilities" list, which is not a great list to be on. Two other local prisons – Rivers State Prison and Scott State Prison – also were on the non-enduring list. Rivers closed in October 2008, while Scott closed last August. Now, Men’s and Bostick appear to be next. Local corrections employees have been hearing rumors for months that the two prisons will close this December. Meanwhile, Sheriff Bill Massee recently was told something more concrete at the Department of Corrections’ monthly board meeting in Forsyth. Massee, attending the meeting as a visitor, was told by a Corrections’ administrator that three state prisons are scheduled to close during the next fiscal year. Unfortunately for Baldwin County, two of those prisons are Men’s and Bostick. Massee added that no one at the meeting could give him an exact date. However, the “next fiscal year” runs from July 31, 2010 through June 30, 2011. “As a citizen of this county, I’m very concerned about what this means for our future. This community already has been hit extremely hard,” Massee said. “I don’t know why Baldwin County is being targeted.” Meanwhile, a Department of Corrections spokesperson was fairly noncommittal when asked about the potential closure. “While both Men’s and Bostick remain on our list of ‘non-enduring’ facilities, there is no specific timeline for closure at this time,” said GDC Communications Director Joan Heath. Fifteen months ago, Baldwin County was home to five state prisons that employed roughly 1,160 people. If Men’s and Scott close, Baldwin County would be left with a mere one state prison (Baldwin State Prison) that would employ roughly 310 people. That amounts to nearly 850 lost jobs, which is comparable to the 1,100-plus jobs lost when Rheem Manufacturing closed its doors last month. A team of Department of Corrections administrators stopped by The Baldwin Bulletin’s office last summer for an interview. Derrick Schofield, who is the Department of Corrections’ second-in-charge, was fairly candid when asked about the future of Bostick/Men’s. Read More. |
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