Statement From Senator Patty Ritchie

The five prisons in our region, and the jobs they support, are critical to our local communities and their economies. Every day, dedicated, hardworking correctional officers and other prison staff members take pride in ensuring these facilities are among the safest and most efficient prisons in our state.

Earlier today, I spoke with New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent association President Michael Powers who is well aware of how critical each of these five prison facilities are to our region.  I have also begun conversations with budget and finance officials in Albany to stress the importance of keeping North Country prisons open. I want to make certain they know how much these facilities mean to the communities where they exist.

In the North Country, every job counts. We don’t have Amazon wanting to locate in our region—nor do we have the opportunity to turn down the tens of thousands of jobs a project like that would support. Now is not the time to be looking at closing prisons in our region, and I will continue to fight to see that that message is heard in Albany.