|
|
| Sadness, resentment at closing of Hillsborough prison |
| By .tampabay.com - Steve Bousquet |
| Published: 03/20/2012 |
|
You'd think the news that Florida needs fewer prisons would be cause for celebration. But not in Hillsborough County. Instead, this is a time of frustration and despair for many people connected to Hillsborough Correctional Institution in Riverview. The only Florida prison with a faith- and character-based curriculum exclusively for female inmates is closing permanently. Inmates are being shipped 100 miles north to Lowell, a prison in Ocala, and correctional officers have been given jobs at various prisons, some as much as 80 miles away. With gas costing nearly $4 a gallon, that's a hardship for low-paid prison workers, who just got a chilling reminder of the dangerous nature of their work: An officer was killed on duty at a prison in Lake City Sunday. The debt-ridden state Department of Corrections, facing a $79 million flood of red ink and stuck with 12,000 empty prison beds, is closing six prisons, including Hillsborough, which was ranked last based on state criteria such as cost-per-inmate, maintenance expenses and space at nearby prisons. Lowell is an all-women's prison that has an entire dorm that's new and empty, with plenty of room to continue the faith-based programs. That made the decision to close Hillsborough a no-brainer at corrections headquarters. Read More. |
advertise
|
privacy policy
|
add URL
|
about us
|
terms/disclaimer
|
contact us
|
join our team
|
help
Comments:
No comments have been posted for this article.
Login to let us know what you think