Marsico Reacts to Governor’s Decision to Close Pennsylvania Prisons
HARRISBURG – House Judiciary Committee Majority Chairman Ron Marsico (R-Dauphin) issued the following statement in regard to the governor’s recent announcement that he intends to close two state prisons:
“As chairman of the House Judiciary Committee for the past several legislative sessions, I have dealt with many reforms with the state’s Department of Corrections. Through all of this, keeping the public safe is paramount to me.
“I am absolutely in favor of making our state government more efficient and reducing the burden on our taxpayers. I also understand that with the Department of Corrections is one of the largest pieces of the budget pie in every year’s finalized budget. That said, I need to be certain we are carefully considering all the potential ramifications of such a drastic measure.
“If the governor’s plan to close prisons and reduce the community corrections population by half can be accomplished in a safe, responsible manner, I will support it. But I certainly don’t want to make any reckless decisions that will have an adverse effect on the safety of Pennsylvanians or our correctional officers.
“I plan to have the Judiciary Committee examine whether any of these facilities can be closed in a responsible, safe manner, and I have asked the Appropriations Committee to monitor this situation carefully.”
Five prisons are under consideration for closure: SCI Mercer in Mercer County, SCI Retreat in Luzerne County, SCI Frackville in Schuylkill County, SCI Waymart in Wayne County and SCI Pittsburgh in Allegheny County.
The Department of Corrections said an announcement regarding its final decision on closures is expected on Jan. 26.
Representative Ronald Marsico
105th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Autumn R. Southard
717.652.3721
asouthar@pahousegop.com
RonMarsico.com