Department of Corrections Secretary John Wetzel announced the Wolf administration will close the State Correctional Institution Pittsburgh by the end of June.
By closing SCI Pittsburgh, the State Department of Corrections estimates they can save around $81 million.
Wetzel was concerned about closing SCI Pittsburgh, but after reviewing the decision, he said it’s their best option. One deciding factor was the strength of the surrounding economy.
Wetzel said Allegheny County’s economy is stronger than other counties where prisons were considered for closure and that any specialty units at SCI Pittsburgh will be relocated to other institutions.
There are currently over 1,900 inmates and 555 employees at SCI Pittsburgh. Wetzel said every employee at SCI Pittsburgh will be offered a job within the Department of Corrections. Inmates will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis so they are properly relocated to other state prisons with open beds.
“I don’t want family members to panic and think you know, Johnny is at Pittsburgh and he’s only got 2 years to go, but now they’re going to ship him to Camp Hill,” Susan McNaughton, communications director at the Department of Corrections, said. “That might not necessarily be the case because we have a lot of institutions in western parts of the state and we have this office of population management that reviews everything that involves where an inmate will be housed.”
The other prisons under consideration were SCI Frackville, Mercer, Retreat and Waymart. Wetzel said those facilities will all remain open.
The second phase of the DOC’s cost-saving process calls for a 50-percent reduction of halfway houses and county jail beds, which will be completed by June 30.
In a statement Thursday, Governor Wolf said in part:
“We must continue to pursue smart reforms that reduce the burden on taxpayers and protect our investments in education and drug treatment to keep people out of prison, where we will spend $40,000 each to house, feed and care for them.”