STATEMENT FROM SENATOR NOZZOLIO ON CONJUGAL VISIT TRAILER AND PRISON CLOSING PROPOSALS IN BUDGET

It is an outrage that Governor Paterson and the New York City Democrat legislators are moving forward with plans to spend over $ 800,000.00 to buy two double wide trailers and place them at Five Points Correctional Facility so that the State of New York can reward it's most hardened criminals - criminals who have committed violent and serious crimes - with conjugal visits!  At the same time, they have brought back their proposal to close Butler Minimum Security Prison, which will cause continued overcrowding and stressful working conditions for correctional employees and have a negative economic impact on our communities.

It is unconscionable that Governor Paterson and the Democrat majorities in the State Senate and Assembly support closing prisons like Butler as a way to save money while at the same time forcing this ridiculous and exorbitant expenditure on the taxpayers of New York State!  They don’t care about saving taxpayers money, they want to spend more of it on luxuries for dangerous criminals! Talk about adding insult to injury.  Imagine being the family member of one of the people who have been victimized by these criminals!  These are inmates who have committed violent crimes - armed robbery, rape and murder.  Imagine your anger at finding out that $ 800,000.00 of your tax dollars are being spent to buy two mobile homes that cost nearly ten times as much as one that the average homeowner could purchase! 

We need lower taxes and more incentives for businesses to stay here in New York -  not costly, special benefits for convicted criminals! There is no excuse for Governor Paterson and the New York City Senators and Assembly Members to put this proposal back on the table. This is without a doubt a program that New York State must and should eliminate.