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| Oregon planning prison closures, layoffs |
| By statesmanjournal.com - Alan Gustafson |
| Published: 02/15/2012 |
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The Oregon Department of Corrections is considering closing multiple prisons in the state’s 14,000-inmate, 14-prison corrections system, going far beyond previously disclosed plans to shut down one Salem facility. Corrections leaders have drawn up budget-cutting plans that call for scrapping 1,500 to 1,800 beds and laying off 350 to 400 employees. New corrections director Colette Peters outlined the potential cuts — totaling $17.2 million — in an e-mail sent to all DOC employees late Friday. Peters said “multiple” prison closures are being considered, but “the department has not identified which institutions or what level of institutions will be deactivated.” One prison previously was identified for possible closure: the Santiam Correctional Institution, a 440-bed minimum-security prison in southeast Salem. Santiam is one of four state prisons operating in Salem; another facility was shut down in November 2010 as part of a $2.5 million budget cut that laid off dozens of workers and relocated 120 prisoners. If legislators green light Santiam’s closure, it could be emptied out as early as July, axing about 100 jobs. The prospect of additional prison closures is rippling fear and anxiety through the 4,000-employee corrections agency, which has a two-year budget of $1.3 billion. Read More. |
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