Nozzolio: 2008-2009 State Budget Rejects Proposed Prison Closures

“The brave men and women who serve as New York’s correctional officers walk one of the toughest beats in law enforcement today,” said Senator Nozzolio. “Every day, they leave their families and put their lives on the line to help keep the most violent felons locked up so that our communities are safer. Closing prisons and cutting resources would lead to more dangerous working conditions for our correction officers and create instability in the state prison system.”

As Chairman of the Senate Crime Victims, Crime and Corrections Committee, Senator Nozzolio helped lead the fight to reject the proposal that would have shut down four prisons in Upstate New York. Those prisons are McGregor in Saratoga County, Camp Gabriels in Franklin County, the Hudson Correctional facility in Columbia County, and Pharsalia in Chenango County.

In January, Senator Nozzolio held Senate hearings concerning the proposed prison closures. At the hearing, Senator Nozzolio and the Crime Victims, Crime and Corrections Committee listened to testimony from Commissioner Brian Fischer of the State Department of Correctional Services as well as Larry Flanagan, President of the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association. As a result of those hearings, Senator Nozzolio and his Republican colleagues in the Senate made it a priority to keep the prisons open during this year’s budget negotiations.

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