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Rendell halts closing of SCI-Waynesburg

By Steve Ostrosky 4 min read

WAYNESBURG – The Rendell administration has put a temporary halt to plans to close the State Correctional Institution at Waynesburg while the state reviews cost reductions associated with keeping the lockup open. As part of Rendell’s budget proposal earlier this month, the state Department of Corrections planned to close SCI-Waynesburg by the end of the year and transfer all of the inmates there to SCI-Fayette in Luzerne Township, which is scheduled to open by year’s end.

However, after lobbying from Greene County’s state lawmakers, the Morgan Township prison apparently has been given a reprieve.

State Rep. Bill DeWeese (D-Waynesburg) said he and state Sen. J. Barry Stout (D-Bentleyville) met with John Estey, the governor’s chief of staff, earlier this week to discuss the future of the 500-inmate prison.

“We put forward our case that the closure would have a devastating impact on the local economy in a part of Pennsylvania that can ill afford a seismic setback of this dimension,” DeWeese said. “They showed us arguments relating to economies of scale that motivated them to make the decision in the first place.”

He said the administration has believed that the inmates could be sent to SCI-Fayette and would bring down the cost per inmate.

The state projects that maximum-security SCI-Greene will hold 1,780 prisoners and SCI-Fayette will hold 1,600 inmates by the end of 2003.

DeWeese said he and Stout “aggressively requested” that the administration take another look at SCI-Waynesburg and see if any cost-saving measures could be taken to make the prison more competitive.

“I am confident at this juncture that the Rendell administration will put a temporary freeze on the transfer of prisoners or the transfer of existing Department of Corrections personnel,” he said. “The administration still contends that younger workers who are committed to a long career in the DOC should take a long, hard look at the possibility of transferring to the brand-spanking-new facility in Luzerne Township, because its future is absolutely secure.”

He stressed that the freeze is temporary, but he noted that he and Stout once again will get the opportunity to plead their case with the governor sometime this summer. He said meetings will continue throughout the next several months to see that the issue gets Rendell’s attention.

“Everyone accedes to the fact that the facility is well-run and is a first-class operation,” DeWeese said.

“In the modern world of corrections, these big facilities are more economical, according to the DOC’s bean counters.”

Stout, D-Bentleyville, said the state’s prison system already is over capacity, and it doesn’t make sense to close a “very functional facility” in the midst of a burgeoning inmate population.

He said at their next meeting with the administration, DOC officials are expected to present a complete cost analysis of SCI-Waynesburg.

According to Stout, Secretary of Corrections Jeffrey Beard said in past meetings that the prison has a higher cost per inmate than other facilities, a statement Stout said is not exactly true.

“Other savings can happen to make the prison more cost effective and save the jobs for the people of Greene County,” Stout said. “Hopefully, we will be able to get an understanding between the administration and Bill and myself.”

Stout said he was unaware of any plans to close SCI-Waynesburg until Rendell’s first budget proposal March 4, and he said he plans to vigorously interrogate DOC officials when they come before the Senate Appropriations Committee, on which he is the highest-ranking Democrat.

“I will do everything I possibly can,” he said. “Bill DeWeese and I are going to work in concert on this to see what can be done.”

According to earlier figures, the cost to house an inmate at SCI-Waynesburg is $33,000, $4,000 higher than the DOC’s average of $29,000.

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