|
|
| WA Ignores Own Report On Pine Lodge |
| By spokesman.com |
| Published: 02/08/2010 |
|
OLYMPIA – Last year, the Legislature spent $500,000 for a consultant to tell Washington state which prisons should close and which should stay open. The consultant released his study in November, and the Pine Lodge Corrections Center for Women in Medical Lake wasn’t on the list. Instead, he recommended it stay open to handle female prisoners on the east side of the state. That has some legislators balking at Gov. Chris Gregoire’s plan to close Pine Lodge and move its inmates to a women’s facility in Western Washington to help fill a $2.6 billion hole in the state’s budget. “I’m willing to do it if it makes good economic sense. But the numbers just don’t add up,” said Rep. Joe Schmick, R-Colfax, whose district includes the Medical Lake facility. State Rep. Joel Kretz, R-Wauconda, contended last week that closing Pine Lodge was an effort to save jobs in Western Washington: “I can’t see a financial reason to do it. It looks political to me.” But a spokeswoman for Gregoire said the closures are strictly financial, not political. “There are a lot of communities that certainly don’t want to see facilities in their area close,” spokeswoman Karina Shagren said. “Because of the economy, the state has to close some institutions.” Pine Lodge was among five correctional facilities on a list first announced in December, but the only one the consultant didn’t recommend closing. The study recommended operating Pine Lodge at its current level of about 187 inmates. The state could expect to need more minimum-security beds for women inmates, the study said, and additional capacity is available at Pine Lodge, which closed a unit with 242 beds earlier in the year. Read More. |
Comments:
Login to let us know what you think
MARKETPLACE search vendors | advanced search
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
|
If you just got hit in a car accident, it can be hard to know who to talk to, if anybody. If you have been in a speeding accident waco , then calling Dunnam & Dunnam is the right choice. It is one of the best decisions that you can make for your car wreck case. Choosing a great lawyer is important to the outcome of your matter.