Oregon Proposes Closing Three Prisons

The current economy is forcing hard choices in Salem.

Oregon corrections officials proposed Wednesday closing three prisons, releasing nearly 1,000 inmates and cutting 232 jobs as part of the budget-cutting planned by Gov. Ted Kulongoski.

The three are the Mill Creek work camp and the Santiam Correctional Institution in Salem, and the Powder River Correctional Facility in Baker City, according to budget documents released by the governor’s office.

They are among the smaller prisons in Oregon’s system of 14 correctional facilities. All are minimum-security facilities.

With revenue falling short of expectations, Kulongoski two weeks ago ordered agencies to come up with 9 percent across-the-board cuts. He said Wednesday he would announce a final cut list by the end of the month.

The governor has limited flexibility in trimming the budget. He’s allowed only to order an “allotment,” which means all agencies cut their budgets by the same percentage…

Inserted from <Business Week>

I expect heavy opposition to this from the corrections union, from people who support punishment over rehabilitation and restoration, and especially from companies that profit, sometimes excessively, from prison contracts and their lobbyists.  In my opinion this is a far better plan than cutting programming that helps prisoners better themselves.